


Stolen

by ladyluckrogue



Category: One Piece
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-29
Updated: 2016-01-03
Packaged: 2018-05-10 05:18:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 48
Words: 66,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5572423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyluckrogue/pseuds/ladyluckrogue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for the 100 Themes challenge on the Google community Orange and Green. Nami and Zoro are stolen from the crew and face challenges that will drive both of them to their limits and bring them closer together. Will they be able to work together to get back to the Strawhats? Pairing is ZoNa, so if that's not your thing, don't read. Originally posted on FF.net.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Are You Challenging Me?

Author's Note: Hey all. I've been wanting to do something like this for a while now, a series of drabbles that add up to a complete story. On my community on Google +, Orange and Green, I've put up a 100 Themes challenge, and this is my contribution. Each chapter will be one of the hundred themes.

Ratings will vary chapter to chapter, as will chapter lengths. Enjoy and please check out Orange and Green and come join the fun!

Rating: PG 13

Length: 1100 words

Theme: -#74 Are You Challenging Me?

Chapter 1

The sun shone brightly down on the glass clear waters under the 1000 Sunny as it cut through, so calm that the large ship barely made a ripple. It made a beautiful sight but as the navigator well knew it also meant they were in a world of trouble. No wind, not a cloud in the sky, the sun reflecting off the water and sending the temperature soaring.

The Strawhat crew had been at sea well over a week, nothing new, but with no wind and no land in sight it was a precarious situation. They were on their last barrel of water since the previous day and the mood on board was showing it. Everyone was hot and agitated beyond belief and Luffy's wining was beginning to grate on everyone.

Nami gazed across the waves and smiled wryly. That old phrase she'd read somewhere really did ring true in this situation; Water, Water everywhere and not a drop to drink.

Raised voices across deck drew her attention.

"Damn it to hell Luffy, we're all thirsty! Keep it to yourself will you?" Sanji snapped, seemingly seconds away from throttling their captain.

"Woah, this isn't helping anyone..." Franky protested, separating the two men before it came to blows.

"We do need water soon." Robin pointed out, "The rations won't hold out much longer."

"I know that but what do you want me to do? Wave my hands and make it appear?!" Sanji growled out in frustration, kicking over one of the empty water barrels on deck.

"Could you?" Usopp asked, joking earning a dark scowl from the chef.

Zoro, who despite the lack of water and doctor's orders to take it easy had been lifting weights on deck. He set them down and glanced to Nami, who was looking forlornly between the chart on her lap and the horizon.

"That bad?" He asked.

Nami sighed, "According to the chart, even with the cola engine at full speed, we're still a day or so from the next island with water."

An uproar of protests went across the deck, Usopp and Chopper panicking right off the bat, Luffy joining in and adding fuel to the fire rather than assurances.

"Um, everyone?" The voice of their newest crew member spoke up, trying to be heard over the chaos the had erupted.

Zoro saw Brook had gone still, seemingly staring at the horizon. Could he actually stare? Zoro had to wonder at himself before shaking it off and turning his head in the same direction. He saw it too, a faint shimmer and smudge there, faintly visible, and that meant...

"LAND!" He shouted, his voice effectively silencing the bickering.

"What? I just told you-" Nami started before moving toward the railing, snagging a pair of binoculars. "He's right! There's an island there!" Her expression changed to confusion. "It's uncharted..." She muttered before her eyes lit up.

"A good opportunity for you then," Robin stated as Nami began to gather her map making materials as well as instruments for taking measurements.

"Good eye Zoro!" Usopp said, smacking the larger man on the shoulder. Zoro shrugged him off and motioned to Brook.

"Thank him, He was the only one out of all of you that didn't get caught up in your hysteria." He muttered, moving back over to his weights, watching as the others moved toward Brook. Their newest, albeit strangest crew member had worked out, much to everyone's amazement. It still amazed him despite all he'd seen and experienced, how a walking, talking 8 foot tall skeleton was almost normal.

"Shishishi," Luffy laughed, "I knew there was a reason you had to be on my crew. To the island everyone!" He said, mood greatly improved.

The crew moved to get the ship ready to dock, Nami directing the way through the currents, or lack there of, Sanji above in the crow's nest to watch for rocks and reefs as they approached and Franky at the helm, steering and working with the cola engine. Zoro only took a short break from his workout to drop the anchor as the others furled the sails in.

A short time later it was time to decide who would go on the supply run and more bickering broke out, Nami telling them it was only supposed to be a short stop for water and not adventure time. It was decided that Sanji and Chopper would scout for food and medicinal herbs and she and another would go for water.

As she approached the swordsman he felt his annoyance starting to build. "No." He said before she could get a word out. "I'm not your pack mule."

"Oh come on. I said I'd go to get water but you know I need help carrying the barrels." She huffed.

"You only want to go so you can chart the island, which is fine, but find someone else. How is it that I always get stuck lugging water?" He muttered, staring down at a set of weights before adding a bit more to both sides.

"Because you usually volunteer, what's the big deal?" She asked, hands on her hips. "Besides, wouldn't it be more of a workout than the weights here?" She asked, trying to reason with him.

Zoro knew he could just avoid the whole spectacle by agreeing to go with her, but lately she seemed to bribe, threaten and extort him for just about everything and it was starting to really get on his last nerve.

"Why can't you pick someone else, or better yet, do it yourself?" He asked, glancing at her. "You're always trying to get people to do things for you, ever thought to do something on your own, or are you scared you just can't cut it?" He demanded, the words and frustration rushing out of him before he could stop it.

He saw her jaw clench and her face color in indignation. "Are you really challenging me? You know what?" She asked in a low tone that he liked much less than when she yelled at him. "You're right...I'll go do it myself, because clearly you think that this girl can't. I'll show you." She said, determination gleaming in her eyes.

"Asshole..." She hissed under her breath as she made her way across the deck to disembark from the ship.

Usopp let out a low whistle but no one tried to stop her. Raging Nami was one thing, when she threw things and screamed and yelled, but quiet Nami, when one could almost see the flames of anger burning around her, everyone knew better to stay clear.


	2. Safety First

Theme: #97 Safety First

Rating: M, for strong language

Words:

Chapter 2:

The Captain of the Strawhats stared at his First Mate, arms crossed and a no nonsense look on his usually smiling face.

"You broke her, you fix her."

Zoro ran a hand over his face in exasperation. "Fuck..." He muttered, wondering why he hadn't just agreed to go in the first place.

"I swear if one hair on her head is out of place, I'll kick your ass." Sanji threatened, lighting a cigarette.

"Yeah, yeah..." Zoro muttered, grabbing the rest of the water barrels Nami had left behind and hefting them over his shoulder, "I'm shaking in my boots here..."

"What did you say?" Sanji demanded, only to be held back by Robin. "She seems to have gone toward that mountain peak there." She said giving the usually directionally hopeless swordsman a landmark to go on without calling him out.

Zoro gave her a nod of thanks, taking in the scenery of the island for himself. There was only one massive peak on the whole island, the rest of it, aside from the sandy beach was thick jungle and seemed to not be inhabited.

"We're all back on the ship by sundown." Zoro said, glancing to Luffy who nodded. "Groups, like always, no one on their own and first sign of trouble back to the ship, k?"

The crew nodded in agreement, standard rules.

Zoro disembarked, ready to head after Nami, seeing her sandaled footprints in the sand.

"Zoro?" Luffy called

The swordsman glanced up, meeting the younger man's eyes.

"Bring back my navigator and be careful. Something seems off..." Luffy muttered, his face unusually serious.

Zoro nodded and began to follow her footprints. Luffy was right. There was something in the air of this place that just didn't seem right.

It didn't take Zoro very long to catch up to Nami, who had started up the slope. There wasn't much of a trail through the dense foliage, only a slight gap of sorts, thick with under brush that hinted there had, at one point, been inhabitants.

He knew she heard him approached though she didn't slow or make an effort to acknowledge his presence.

"Nami," he called, getting no response.

She picked up the pace and he was amazed how she managed with the under brush in sandals no less with this sort of an incline, not to mention the two empty barrels and the bag she was carrying.

"You planning on ignoring me the whole time? How very adult of you..." He said already annoyed at the silent treatment.

"You come to play babysitter? Make sure poor little ol' me doesn't get into too much trouble? How very adult of you." She sneered back, nearly tripping over a log and letting out a growl of frustration.

Ahead the terrain took an abrupt turn for the worse, the incline going sheer in a matter of feet, the crumbling sandstone rock face extending up for about 10 feet. The only good news was the fallen tree that provided an easier way up.

"We're going to have to work together." Zoro pointed out as she came to a stop.

Her head tilted slightly. "You trying to prove a point here? Prove me wrong?" Her voice was laced with venom, daring him to answer the wrong way.

"No damn it." He answered, frustrated, not liking how her mood seemed to fluctuate on a whim.

"This isn't about proving anything. Safety is our first priority, yours, mine and the crews. If we work together it'll make it easier for everyone alright?" Zoro managed, about as diplomatically as he was capable.

There was no response as she seemed to consider his words. She knew he was right but he knew this was as much about pride for her. She would never willingly admit she needed the help.

"You climb up first and I'll pass the barrels up one at a time and then climb up." He suggested.

"Fine..." Nami muttered, barely audible as she let down the barrels, and managed to climb up the fallen tree. It was dry, flaking apart in some places, but still stable enough to hold her weight. Once she'd reached the top, the two worked together in silence, pulling each of the barrels up and it wasn't too long before Zoro joined her.

"You know where you're going?" He asked, earning a glare from the navigator. At least eye contact was an improvement, even if it was scathing.

"We're going to the top of the peak, that way I can get a good look around and chart the island. Usually the source of rivers and streams is on high ground as well, so if we don't find any water up there, at least we'll be able to see where there is some." She answered in a clipped tone, picking up her pace to move ahead of him.

He let out a sigh and had no choice but to follow.

Back on the shore, near where the Sunny had been anchored, Robin, Sanji and Chopper had moved down the beach.

Everything seemed almost perfect on the island, beautiful, peaceful, serene...Robin wanted to take it at face value but the truth of it was, Luffy was right, something was very off.

"Robin? Take a look at this..." Chopper said, approaching, a plant in each of his hooves. Robin reached out to take a closer look at the one leaf that Chopper had snipped.

"Aloe?" She asked, "Isn't the climate a bit wrong for this sort of plant.

Chopper gave a nod, "And this is ginseng, which usually grows no where near aloe. There's more too..." He muttered.

"Over there are banana trees and cocao plants, and right next to it, a pecan tree and an apple tree." Sanji said, "I've noticed it too. Not all this stuff's native. It's like someone planted all of it..."

Robin handed the plant back, her brow furrowed in concentration. "There has to be an answer to why. An experiment maybe?"

Chopper gave a shrug, "To see what would happen if all the plants were thrown together?"

"Maybe. Or someone just did it out of ignorance. I'm not seeing signs that the island has anyone on it though..." Sanji said, "There's a clearing up ahead though, let's check it out." He pointed ahead, where the shoreline curved and the trees seemed to thin out.

A short walk later and the three were in front of a large temple like structure. At first glance it seemed to be ruins of a long ago civilization but Robin's trained eye noted the discrepencies right away.

"This isn't authentic..." She muttered, moving forward to examine the stone.

"Oh?" Sanji asked, keeping an eye, feeling on edge.

"Looks really old, and there's some writing..." Chopper noted.

Robin's hand ran over the stone. "It isn't old though, merely aged to look like it, I can tell from the tool marks and the way that none of the plants have overgrown it..." Her eyes moved over the writing etched into the stone.

"The writing, it's a sort of hodge podge of many languages and none of it makes sense..."

Sanji let the information sink in. "I think we need to go get the others and figure out what's going on here."

Robin gave a nod, glancing at her two shipmates and back to where the ship was. "I think that's a good idea."


	3. Annoyance

Theme: #69 Annoyance

Rating: M, for language

Words: 468

Chapter 3:

Just who in the hell does he think he is?! Nami fumed to herself as she struggled to keep ahead of the swordsman. She had a sneaking suspicion he was letting her think she was keeping ahead of him, which just pissed her off more. In truth, she wanted nothing more than to plop down on the next log or rock and take a break. She was hot and sweaty, her feet were hurting, legs burning from the exertion of climbing up the mountain and on top of it all, she was thirsty.

All of this was his fault anyway. He was the one who had basically called her out that she was always trying to get other people to do things for her. Why couldn't he have just offered to get water like he always did?

It completely escaped her that she was spinning the whole thing way out of proportion, that she was being irrational. She was so caught up in her annoyance that she failed to really grasp why it was that he was getting under her skin so much as of late.

"You need to take a break." The swordsman called out to her.

Nami turned on him, "The hell I do!" She shouted, startling birds out of a tree at her sudden outburst.

"I know what you're trying to do here. I don't need to prove myself to you, I know my own damn limits, thank you very much!"

Much to her displeasure, her outburst had little effect on Zoro. He stared at her, his dark eyes seeming to read through her and to her surprise he shrugged, setting down the barrels he was carrying and taking a seat on a large rock. "Suit yourself, but I need a minute. Chopper will have my head if he knows I didn't take a break."

Nami stared at him for a full minute, watching as he took out a canteen and took a drink, offering it out to her when he was finished. She had half a mind to turn it down but her mouth was so dry she could barely swallow.

Grudgingly she took a seat beside him and took a drink from the canteen, savoring the cool water.

"Since when do you actually listen to Chopper anyway?" She asked, glancing at him. He certainly hadn't in the past few weeks since they'd left Thriller Bark. He'd started training before he could even stand straight.

Zoro's lip quirked, as if he seemed amused by something. "Worked to get you to take a break didn't it?"

Nami's eyes narrowed and she practically threw the canteen at him as she got to her feet. "You are unbelievable." She hissed. As she resumed the upward hike once more, she swore she heard him chuckling as he followed.


	4. Fairy Tale

Theme- #61 Fairy Tale

Words: 850

Rating: T

Chapter 4:

Back at the ship, Chopper had retreated to his office to sort out the plants he'd gathered and Sanji had retreated to the kitchen to prepare what he'd found on the island for storage.

Robin sat on deck, a book on her lap, three others on the table beside her. leafing through the old tomes. Something about this place, the ruins in particular had struck a memory, something she'd read somewhere.

A while later, the other half of the crew had returned from their exploring and Robin expressed her concerns to Luffy, Sanji adding in about the plant life.

"We saw some weird stuff too, like animals that didn't belong in the same place." Franky told them.

"Yeah! We saw this REALLY cool tiger for like a second and then a few minutes later, a flamingo. And there's lots of beetles that aren't really found all together." Luffy said with his usual enthusiasm.

"Don't forget about the camp." Brook reminded them.

"That's right!" Luffy said, "Looks like some people where camped out for a while here but they're all gone now."

"What sort of a camp?" Sanji asked, brow furrowing. "Like mom, dad and the kids on vacation sort of camp?"

"Nope, more like set up with precision sort of a camp. Tents, bigger HQ tent, communal fire pit sort of a thing, maybe military by the looks of it." Usopp muttered, "Though none of the tents or supplies are still there, they're long gone..."

"Marines?" Asked Robin.

"Most likely, " Sanji agreed, "Which means we should probably get out of here as soon as possible."

Usopp handed Robin a plastic baggie and inside where pieces of charred paper. "These were in the fire pit. If I clean em up and piece them together, think you can decipher them?"

Robin nodded, "I can certainly try..."

With that, Usopp made his way to his workshop, Chopper in tow, awed by Usopp's 'super sleuth skills'.

Luffy shaded his eyes and looked at the sky. "Nami and Zoro should be back soon..."

"If they aren't back in a bit, we'll head after them. Moss head probably got them lost..." Sanji said, lighting a cigarette and heading in the direction of the galley.

Robin sank back in her chair, opening another volume. It wasn't too long later when she sat up, glancing to Franky, who was napping on the chair next to her. He cracked an eye at her sudden movement.

"Take a look at this..." She said, showing him an article.

"This book deals exclusively in legends that have almost reached conformation level, meaning more than a few people have backed them up as being true..." Her fingertip moved over the text. "...No story is more debated than that which tells of elaborate traps, supposedly used over centuries by governments and pirates alike, of a wandering island, appearing when ships are in need. The purpose of these islands vary, some to split crews, steal crew members or eliminate pirate crews that have otherwise eluded capture. Many stories tell of the use of elaborate traps, magic and the use of psychological warfare, torture and violence. Often these islands are described as a wonderous mix and match of flora and fauna, as they seem to be hastily thrown together..." The article went on, Franky soaking it in.

"Seems kind of vague though, and hoaky. Like a fairy tale or some silly children's story..." Franky said sceptically.

Robin nodded, "I agree, it was just something I'd remembered reading. And after Thriller Bark, we can't be too careful. There are things in this world that cannot be explained."

"That's true..." Franky said thoughtfully. "Maybe we should go talk to Strawhat and give the island another once over, look for Nami and Zoro."

After what had seemed like hours Zoro and Nami noticed a gradual change, the levelling off of the incline.

"Think we're almost there." Zoro pointed out.

Nami's foul mood had seemed to calm during the walk, giving way to exhaustion. "Good..." She said in relief. "We can take a quick look, grab water and head back. We have to be back before sunset."

Zoro nodded, something in the distance catching his eye as the breeze moved through the leaves and branches of the jungle. "You see that?"

"Huh?" Nami pushed her sweat dampened bangs out of her face and squinted in the direction Zoro had indicated. "Is that a building?"

"Or ruins or something..."

"That means there could be people," Nami said, eyes lighting up. "You think they're friendly? That they have a shower?" She asked brightly.

Zoro rolled his eyes, "You seem to convienantly forget you're a wanted pirate don't you? We need to be careful..."

"Fine.." Nami pouted, "But if they are pirate friendly, I'm taking a shower."

Zoro nodded absently, that feeling he'd had earlier increasing, his hand moving to rest on the hilt of his swords as they approached. He hoped Nami was right, that there were just a group of friendly settlers, but something in his gut told him that wouldn't be the case.

He really hoped he was wrong.


	5. Mirror

AN: Thanks to all who've read what I've written so far and bearing with the story. I'm not great at writing set up stuff or keeping things light and fluffy or funny. This chapter marks where it starts to get dark and delve into the more psychological aspect of the story. For anyone who is familiar with any of my other stuff I've written, they'll know that's my realm. Also, please PLEASE review everyone...there's nothing more disheartening as an author than seeing tons of views and getting very few reviews. We thrive off that stuff. Let me know what you liked, what I need to work on, what you'd like to see :)

~Ladyluckrogue

Disclaimer (which I've forgotten thus far -.-): I don't own One Piece, the great Oda does. I'm only borrowing the characters for my own whims

Theme: #75 Mirror

Rating: M

Words 603

Chapter 5:

The trees seem to disappear at he same point as the ground leveled off. There before them were some ruins like straight out of one of Usopp's adventure novels. And like in those novels, they seemed out of place and ominous.

"Definitely not a house." Nami stated the obvious as she shaded her eyes to get a lay of the land. "There's a dip in the land over there by those trees and I'm betting it's a lake." She glanced to Zoro who'd gone still, tense, hand on the hilt of Wado.

"I can't shake the feeling that we're being watched..." He said, voice low.

Nami looked around, "You sure? I doubt there's anyone for miles...These ruins look a few thousand years old." Her voice held scepticism, but after all this time she learned to trust him.

"Perimeter check first then?" She asked, getting a nod from the swordsman. He drew a sword, approaching the open arched entryway to the ruins, Nami following him, starting to piece together her climatact.

Her attention was drawn to the sound of Zoro's boot scraping something across the stone floor.

"Glass?" She asked, exchanging a look with him. She felt a chill, similar to a drop of pressure and it took her a minute to realize the obvious. There were no sounds. All the familiar jungle sounds, birds, animals, even the breeze were gone. Everything had gone silent.

Zoro motioned for her to stay close as they rounded a corner and they came face to face with the source of the glass, a shattered mirror. Behind it was another, and as soon as they'd taken a step another slid to block where they'd just walked in from. Sounds came from somewhere though with the mirrors around it was impossible to get any sort of orientation other than it sounded close. Footsteps, whispers, shouts, fists banging on walls, or mirrors perhaps?

"It's a trap. Fuck!" Zoro swore viciously, pulling another sword, and slashing out at the mirror. Sparks exploded around them, nearly blinding them.

"What the hell Zoro!" Nami shouted covering her eyes.

"What the fuck are these things made of?" He growled, pulling his coat from around his waist and wrapping his fist in it.

"Don't-" Nami started, her warning falling on deaf ears as Zoro tried shattering the mirror, only to feel a shock wave of pain run up his arm.

Whispers and laughing were all around them and it was impossible to tell where the sounds were coming from.

Nami felt the rush of adrenaline in her veins, her heart hammering in her chest. What sort of game was this?

"Move, we have to move..." Zoro said, snagging her hand and moving forward. The moved through the mirrors, seeing a jumble of their own reflections at every turn.

It was dizzying, disorienting, many times one or both of them walking right into one of the mirrors trying to find the gap in them.

"What the hell do you want?" Zoro shouted in frustration.

"Death",

"Revenge,"

"You won't get out!"

"No one can save you,"

There was a mad rush of whispers and Zoro felt Nami tense.

"Did you hear that?" She whispers, eyes wide in fear, from adrenaline.

"They're trying to scare us, keep moving," He insisted, trying to pull her forward, eyes focused on her's.

A flash of light blinded him, the reflection in the mirrors intensifying it and he heard the shot ring out, deafening, like a crack of thunder.

He felt her hand slip out of his as he lost his equilibrium, her brown eyes full of panic, pain.

"Nami!"


	6. Broken Pieces

AN: Thanks so much to everyone who's reviewed :) Keep em coming! I'm trying to do a few of these a day so that I get through these prompts. I have quite a few chapters plotted out already and it's giving me motivation to write, always a good thing :)

As always, please check out Orange and Green on Google + and come join the ZoNa fun :)

Theme: # 76 Broken Pieces

Rating: M

Words 835

Disclaimer: I still don't own One Piece, sadly. All mistakes you may find here though? Yup, they're all mine, grammar, plot or otherwise. My grammar has gone to hell in a hand basket since I have to speak German 24/7 -.-

Chapter 6

Blood and glass everywhere.

Zoro struggled to push himself upright, slick shards of glass digging into his hands as he nearly wound up on his face again.

He attempted to blink the dizziness away. His ear felt as if it was clogged with water and as he reached a hand up to it he realized the cause. The close range of the gunshot had more than likely ruptured his eardrum.

All at once, what had happened rushed back to him, and he felt panic, the likes of which he rarely experienced.

"Nami?" He called out, glancing frantically, the jumble of images around him in the glass doing nothing to help him find his bearings. His voice sounded muffled, like he was under water.

Her sandals, he reached out to grab the image only to touch glass and after a few frustrating seconds, he felt her foot. She was there, warm to the touch and real.

"Nami!" He moved next to her, ignoring the broken glass all around him, under his limbs as he moved.

She lay there, still as a statue, pale. Her orange hair fell over her face in fine strands and for a second he couldn't think of anything he'd ever seen that was so beautiful. Her eyes fluttered open, gazing up at him cloudily, through a haze of confusion and pain.

"Zoro?" She whispered, trying to move. Her eyes pinched shut and her hand went to her right shoulder, just below it and he saw where the blood was coming from.

"It hurts..." She said, her voice weak and thready as he looked at the wound, trying to snap himself out of his stupor. It didn't look good, in fact he was more than willing to be this wasn't one of those wounds where the bullet had just passed through and missed everything vital.

"I know.." He said, saying what came to mind first, pulling his shirt off. He knew he had to stop the bleeding, beyond that his medical knowledge was zilch. "I'm just gonna wrap this up and then we need to get out of here..."

Nami gave the slightest of nods, her eyelids starting to flutter, "I'm tired..."

As Zoro lifted her gently to get the shirt under her, he reached out to tap her face lightly, "Stay awake,"

"Ow..." Nami protested, her eyes cracking open to give him a slight glare, "Sanji's right...you really are a barbarian or something. Didn't anyone ever tell you that it's not nice to hit girls..."

Zoro pulled the makeshift bandage tight over the wound, knotting it twice to keep it in place. He could hear echoes around them, voices, footsteps. They needed to move and quick. Still, he couldn't resist the slight quirk of his lip. That was Nami, even in a situation like this she was full of fire.

"I'll remember that next time I see one." He told her, pulling her to sit upright. He didn't miss the grimace of agony that washed over her features at the movement. Just as quickly though it disappeared, the Navigator looked determined to not show how much pain she was really in.

"I'm very much a girl, thank you!" She protested, though her speech was starting to slur, as if she was sleepy, most likely from blood loss. He moved her to his back, hoping she would have the strength to hang on and that the extra pressure would staunch the bleeding.

She seemed to press against him a little more than necessary to illustrate her point and Zoro fought the urge to roll his eyes. As if he hadn't noticed.

"You don't say..." Zoro said sarcastically.

"Mm-hmm." Nami replied drowsily leaning into him, her breath tickling his neck. "Very much..." She muttered.

"Hang on Nami." Zoro made sure he had a grip on her and moved forward, sword drawn. There were more sounds now, all around him. Using the sword he managed to move forward a bit but he couldn't tell where one mirror began and the other ended. He had no idea how long this went on for. Summoning all his strength and concentration, he focused on the sword before him, willing it to break, no, obliterate this obstacle. He drew the sword through the air, almost in slow motion, feeling it crack through the air with raw energy and the mirrors shattered, glass raining down.

Blood pounded in his ears and distantly he could hear shouts and what were probably gunshots, but he blocked that away.

Escape was all that mattered, getting out of this god forsaken place and saving Nami.

Nami clung to him feeling the glass raining down, the power running threw his body as he moved through the shattered temple.

He was the epitome of power, even as he tore through the place like the hounds of hell were at his feet and she?

She looked fragile, broken and bloodied.

Weak.

This is your fault you know.

The voices grew louder and her world faded to black.


	7. Breaking the Rules

AN: Hey guys, thanks so much for the awesome reviews and thanks for sticking with me so far, hope you guys are having as much fun as I am :) Over 400 views on here in just a few days...I'm flabbergasted!

Keep them reviews coming!

-LadyLuckRogue

Theme: #50 Breaking the Rules

Rating: M

Words 822

Chapter 7

The sun was starting to set, casting an amber glow over the deck of the 1000 Sunny, the waves sparkling in the dimming light. The Captain found no beauty in the scenery, he paced back and forth like a caged animal.

"They should be back..." Luffy muttered. "It's not like them to break the rules, something's wrong."

"Agreed. Perhaps we should start organizing a search party before we lose too much light?" Brook suggested, seeming to gaze across the jungle landscape of the island.

"We need to search for them and leave this place as quick as possible." Robin said approaching them, a book and what looked like a plastic document sleeve in hand, Usopp close behind her.

Zoro wasn't sure how long he'd been moving through the jungle. It was all a big green blur, plants, branches, obstacles. He'd blocked out the sounds around him aside from the voices and footsteps. He hadn't heard them for a while.

Light was fading rapidly, not that much of it could pierce the dense jungle canopy in the first place, but it was a sign that dusk was rapidly approaching.

They should have been back at the ship. He had no way of contacting the others, no transponder snail, not even a signal flare and he didn't have a clue where he was. For all he knew they were miles from the ship.

Once he was sure that they weren't being followed he stopped, letting Nami to the ground gently, relieved to see she was still breathing. Honestly he hadn't been sure. It wasn't like him to be driven by panic, but that's what had happened. The whole situation was one that he had no experience with, being hunted was one thing but catching barely a glimpse of your enemy? That was a whole new game. The few scant glances he had caught were far from reassuring.

His focused turned back to the navigator. Her breathing had taken on a rasping quality he was sure wasn't normal and she seemed even paler than usual, her complexion nearly chalk white.

Relief surged through him as her eyes opened, "Hey...are we back at the ship?"

Zoro gave a shake of his head. "We're in the jungle, seems like whoever it was stopped following us for now."

Her eyes narrowed on him, though she seemed to have trouble focusing. "You have no clue where we are do you? Leave it to you to get us lost..."

Zoro bristled at her words, "You trying running through this shit and finding your way. You should be thanking me right now you know. You think it was easy?"

Nami tried to laugh, coughing choking her laughter and Zoro helped her sit up, patting her back. "It was a joke..." She said as the coughing subsided, her voice raw.

Zoro passed her his bandanna to wipe her face, trying to ignore the panic welling up, her breathing was getting worse by the minute and she was coughing up blood.

Nami was quiet as she glanced around, her eyes not meeting his. It was as if the precariousness of their situation had finally sank in.

She pointed, "There's a stream over there, and I bet it starts to lead down the mountain, which means if you follow it you'll hit the coastline eventually."

Zoro gave a nod, "Let's not waste any time then..." He moved to help her onto his back once more feeling her hand push against his shoulder.

"You'll be faster without me, I'll just stay here, get the others and come back..." She suggested, eyelids starting to grow heavy.

"The hell you will!" Zoro practically snarled, her eyes growing wide. "We don't leave anyone behind."

She stared at him long and hard, the determination and fire he always saw there gone, replaced by pain and exhaustion.

"We both know I'm probably not going to make it...I mean you saw where they shot me..." She said quietly, emotion choking her voice.

His jaw clenched as he glared at her, "So I should just leave you to die is that it? You giving up so easily?"

"No!" Nami said, tears welling up as she stubbornly blinked them back, "I don't want to die but really, you think I have a choice in the matter?"

"Yeah you do. You're a pirate aren't you? Break the rules, Nami. You think you can't cheat death, fight against the odds?" He watched as she focused on him and struggled to take a deep breath. He was relieved to see that determined spark in her eyes again.

"You're right. Let's go." She said firmly as he helped her onto his back once more. "Stream's that way dummy." She directed

Zoro couldn't help the smile that came over his features. If she could just hang on a little longer, he was sure she'd be fine. They just needed to get back to the ship.


	8. Flowers

Theme: #31 Flowers

Rating: M

Words 691

Chapter 8

They were surrounded, footsteps on all sides though there wasn't enough light to see them any more. He'd drawn his sword a while back, slashed through probably a dozen of them, clearing a path but he had no way of knowing how many where out there.

"Marines?!" Nami asked, finally catching a glimpse of what he'd picked up on earlier.

"Yeah...dozens of them. Somehow these guys aren't as dumb as the usual bunch, something's off..." His sword drew across another dark shadow in a marine uniform and he adjusted his grip on Nami, running into the thick under brush. Leaves and branches slapped across his face and arms but he hardly felt them.

"There were no ships in the area, none of this makes sense..." Nami muttered, gripping onto him.

"We'll puzzle it out later..." He assured her, narrowly avoiding a particularly large low hanging branch.

And suddenly the jungle disappeared around them, replaced by a field of orange. The sun had disappeared at this point and an almost full moon was just starting to rise, casting light on a field, nearly as far as he could see.

"Flowers?" Nami seemed awed.

Wind whistled near his head, his whole body on alert. He set Nami down in a blur of motion, his sword clashing with another.

"You check them out, let me know..." He said, over powering the other person and striking them down. Suddenly the marine was gone, as if obliterated by a simple sword strike.

"The fuck?" Zoro said in confusion. SOmething was off here, very off. Had the marine really just vanished before his eyes? Come to think of it he couldn't recall ever seeing a face, only the sword and uniform. A feeling a dread was starting to wash over him.

He didn't have the time to puzzle it out any further as more Marines came out of seemingly nowhere. Everything was literally a blur. He could hear Nami talking, seeming more and more excited about something. Was she not seeing what he was? He didn't have time to call her out on it, only to glance back and see her sitting among the flowers.

Swords and various other weapons clashed around him, against his swords in a never ending whirlwind. He should be knee deep in corpses at this point but he wasn't. His usual sharp senses were blurred somehow. The more he tried to focus the more of a blur it all became.

Nami called his name, he heard it through the din of crashing steel but by the time he registered it, by the time he turned to her he saw her laying among the flowers, the blossoms nearly the same radiant color as her hair. Had she been struck, was she alright?

"If you bastards hurt her, I'll gut every last one of you!" He shouted, striking out with far more force than necessary.

Strike after strike, his arms burning with every movement, his blood thundering through his veins.

"Fuck this shit..." He snarled. There was no end in sight it seemed and only one idea came to mind. He cleared his thoughts, focused on his goal, feeling power. like liquid lightening running through him.

"Santoryu, Tatsu Maki!" The air seemed to explode around him, waves of energy swirling, ripping through the air, shadows moved, vanishing and appearing seemingly at whim.

He shook his head to focus, to try to focus through the dim light and felt himself grow more and more disoriented.

He staggered back, feeling something against his boot. Nami lay on the ground, the flowers all around her, her arm across her face, flowers clutched in her hand.

The shadows closed in, he couldn't clearly see what they were at this point and the world slanted, he felt himself falling. Had he been hit?

He couldn't feel anything any more, no pain, no fear, not even his own limbs.

As the world seemed to settle he realized he must have hit the ground, he wasn't falling any more. His vision was fading and he glanced to Nami, her face peaceful, inches from his.

I'm sorry, I failed you.


	9. Traps

AN: Over 600 views! That's more than I've ever seen on one of my stories! Woohoo! Keep the reviews coming guys, let me know what you liked, didn't, suggestions, predictions, etc. :)

Also, this chapter is crew centric but no worries, next chapter we'll get back to our fav couple :) Sorry about the cliffhanger guys...

Theme: #66 Traps

Rating: M

Words: 1015

Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece, so please don't sue. You won't get much, I promise.

Chapter 9

Luffy was about as antsy as anyone had ever seen him. He couldn't sit still and it seemed as if any minute he would jump off the ship.

"C'mon guys..." He wined for the millionth time.

"We need a plan." Sanji reminded, once more, nearly rolling his eyes. He should really start keeping a tally.

"Cook-san is right, there is far more than meets the eye here, if these letters we found are any indication." Robin said, holding up the document protectors.

The sun had gone down but they'd lit enough lamps on deck where everyone could see well enough.

"I thought it was just a letter or a burnt book but it turns out someone just threw a bunch of stuff into the fire, probably as they were packing up the camp." Usopp stated, taking a seat, "Some of this stuff's incomplete but the picture we're getting here isn't good, guys..."

"Covering their tracks, destroying evidence? That sort of thing?" Sanji asked raising a brow.

"I believe so..." Robin started, holding up the book. "Despite scepticism of what I found in this book earlier, I'm not sure I was far off the mark."

After sharing her find with Franky earlier, she'd spoken to the others, earning various degrees of disbelief.

"And those?" Luffy asked, pointing to the paper that had been precariously pieced together.

"This for example is what appears to be a delivery manifest, delivered on a certain M.S. 214 with a menagerie of botanical goods on board."

"A marine ship." Brook pointed out.

"Yes," Robin agreed, "And this appears to be a lease or temporary agreement for use of the island for an unspecified amount of time. Most of it's badly charred and it seemed to be a rather poor copy in the first place..."

"Leasing it from the Marines? This place is probably a training island of some sort then. Does it say to who?" Sanji asked.

Robin shook her head, "As I said, most of it is unreadable, but most of the other correspondence is either directed to a certain Captain J. ."

"Who the heck is that?" Luffy asked moving to see the papers more closely.

"I'm not sure. I've never heard of him and I can't find reference to him anywhere. Most of this is simple correspondence, supply orders, rosters of some sort, and though the manifests point to everything here being set up, this here," Robin said holding up a single piece of paper, "Is the only thing I found that gives any sort of clue to what's going on." Her eyes met those of the Strawhat's captain. "I doubt you are going to like what you read..."

She handed Luffy the letter, all but Robin and Usopp looking on in confusion and intrigue as Luffy began to read. They both had seen it.

After a few tense moments, Luffy threw the letter down and went to the rail. "What a load of crap. We're going to go find Nami and Zoro now and then I'm gonna find this Lilly-jerk guy and kick his ass!"

It was a rare occasion that got Luffy as fired up as this one did and Sanji couldn't help but reach down to pick up the letter, reading over it quickly. His jaw clenched angrily. "It's Nami, that's who they're after and I'm guessing they took Moss head just because he's got a bounty on his head, consolation prize or some stupid shit like that." He felt sick to his stomach. There was something just so wrong about the whole situation.

"Wha-? But why would they do that?" Franky asked, surprised.

"What did Nami ever do to them?" Chopper said, wide eyed.

"From what the letter says, it appears to be permission for this Captain Liloquois to capture Nami of the Strawhat pirates as long as when he's done with her, he turns her over to the Marines, dead or alive." Robin said quietly, "Something about a personal debt, it's rather vague."

"It's crap." Luffy stated, "And we're getting her back, now."

"Damn right we are." Sanji agreed, right behind the captain.

"We should probably follow the path that they took and see what we find. We don't even know if they've been captured. It could be that they've been delayed." Brook pointed out. "There's been no sign of trouble.

A rolling echo broke through the relative stillness of the night, almost like distant thunder and an arch of energy could barely be seen high up on the peak over the dark blur of the jungle canopy. It was over in a matter of seconds but it was a signal better than any flare.

"That, I believe was your sign." Robin pointed out, deadpan.

"That was Zoro! Come on guys!" Luffy shouted.

With that the Strawhat crew jumped into action. If it was one thing you didn't mess with, it was one of their own.

It was a while later, while hiking the same mountain trail that Nami and Zoro had taken earlier that Robin spoke up.

"There is one thing that is bothering me." She admitted. She could see Franky walking beside her, holding a torch for light, the others ahead of them.

"What's that?" He asked, turning his attention to her.

"There was a bit of a document we saw, a short memorandum stating the offer for troops was appreciated but not needed. That means there are no Marines on the island."

Franky let the information sink in, "Which means your thinkin' either he's got his own team or traps right?"

Robin nodded, "The latter definitely considering our reputation. A ship full of standard marines or a crew of men...this man seems to have things too planned out to have missed what happened at Enies Lobby."

"We'll have to stay on our guard then, but I mean, I doubt Zoro would pull an attack like that for nothin' you know..."

Her brow furrowed in thought. "You're right. I suppose we will just have to wait and see what we find."

The hike continued, and they only hoped they weren't too late.


	10. Illusion

AN: Thank you all so much for reading the story and for the lovely reviews :) Sorry to keep you waiting, life gets a little busy here sometimes with a boyfriend, a 7 year old and 2 dogs. Without further ado, I present to you the next chapter :D

Disclaimer: As always, I don't own One Piece, I just like to borrow the characters from time to time.

Theme: #45 Illusion

Rating: M

Words: 1330

Chapter 10

Dark, damp, a rancid smell in the air.

It was definately not a pleasant place he'd awoken in. His mind swirled in confusion, his head foggy. He felt dizzy, nausous, almost hungover and it took a few minutes until he trusted himself to be able to sit up without puking.

All at once the situation rushed back to him and he jumped to a defensive crouch, trying to figure out where he was, his body protesting every movement, muscles screaming, his head pounding.

"Nami?!" He shouted, his voice echoing loudly.

There was very little light, the stone walls around him seemed to be a cavern that someone had turned into a jail or prison of some sort. There were bars around him, in front of him, next to him, boxing off individual cells. the walls were rough, damp. Water dripped from the ceiling, landing in frigid, stagnant puddles.

Clouds rose from his mouth and nose with every breath he took and he could feel the numbness chilling him to the bone.

His swords were still at his waist and he couldn't believe his luck. What sort of an idiot would capture him and leave him with his weapons?

Drawing two swords, he charged forward, hitting the bars with a combination of strength and haki, only to have them spark, the momentum of his charge throwing him back, the recoil of power echoing throw his arms, rattling him.

What the fuck are these things made of? It was like the mirrors. They should have broken.

"Well, well. That settles it. The rumors are false, I see." A voice said through the darkness. He couldn't see who was speaking or where the voice came from but it was clearly a man's voice, a little high pitched, arrogant and smug.

"Rumors?" Zoro asked carefully, every muscle tense as he paced in front of the bars.

"You clearly aren't a devil fruit user or those bars would have knocked you on your ass...Though I have to say they nearly did!" The voice laughed gleefully.

Zoro growled, unsure of how to approach the situation. This guy clearly had a screw loose and he needed answers. A false step would leave him with nothing. He needed to find Nami and get out of here.

"Where am I and what exactly do you want? Where the hell is my ship mate?" He demanded.

"One thing at a time. You really need to learn patience you know. Slow down and enjoy the view, take in the scenery..." The voice seemed to sing song.

"Cut the bullshit!" Zoro shouted, blades sparking against the bars once more.

Another laugh echoed. "You can rage all you want, like with the mirrors, you'll never cut through these bars, my boy. You see, they're an invention of mine that I'm rather proud of, an alloy I've developed that can be transparent, reflective or when mixed with seastone, just plain old ugly metal. I'd explain it to you but I'm afraid a simpleton like you would never grasp the magic of it.

There was a flick of a match, just enough for Zoro to catch a glimpse of a pale face, rotund, ugly, a double chin and greasy hair. The smell of cigar smoke drifted through the cell block.

"If you'd taken a minute, you may have noticed your comrade is there, though it takes some smarts I suppose to figure that you can only see her from certain angles..."

Zoro turned to the cell next to him, moving to the bars and sure enough, there was Nami, sprawled out on the hard stone. The bastard was right. There was something reflective between the bars and he could only see her from a certain angle and he'd missed her at first glance.

She seemed so small and defenseless laying there, the shirt he'd wrapped around her wound soaked through, the stone under her stained dark. He held his breath, watching her, willing her to still be alive despite the circumstances. And there it was, her chest rose and fell, barely. She was still hanging on.

"What do you want?" Zoro asked, desperation, exhaustion in his voice despite him trying to keep it level.

"That is the question isn't it?" The man asked, stepping into the dim light. He gazed at Zoro, a grin coming across his pudgy ugly face. He was rotund, a grimey doctor's coat barely fitting around his frame. He looked like a mad scientist, a crazy doctor who'd spent years couped up in a lab, or dungeon. That much seemed like the case. Zoro could see the madness burning bright in the man's beady eyes.

"Stop playing games. You work for the marines? Is that it?" Zoro demanded, pacing the bars. He remembered fighting what looked like marines in that field, though he wasn't sure what to make of that still.

"That is indeed a piece of the puzzle. Without assistance from them, the Captain would never have had the resources to make his plan work. You see, an Isle of Illusion like this takes some money to set it all up and they were more than happy to fund the little project when they found out we were after a Strawhat, as long as they get the bodies when we're done with them." He cackled. "After all the bounty posters do say dead or alive...and we get the added benefit of getting cold hard cash out of it too!"

Zoro's heart began to pound, anger and adrenaline burning through his veins. "This was all a set up. Just to capture the two of us?" He demanded, voice low.

Another laugh, "Oh no my boy. The captain only wanted the girl you see, old debts and all that, but two for the price of one works nicely!"

"You sick bastard..." Zoro snarled, slashing the bars. "You and your captain are going to get what's coming to you, either by my hand, or Luffy's." he vowed.

The rotund doctor moved a bit closer, grinning, revealing teeth as rotten as his soul, his foul breath fogging the air.

"They'll never find you and Cat Burgler Nami will pay for her heinous crimes." His voice had dropped an octove to a low gravelly growl, his eyes burning with a madness, the likes of which Zoro had never seen, sending chills down his spine.

The fat man jumped back a step almost spinning a pirouette. "Now rest up, you two! Dr. Dizzle's orders!" He said cheerfully. "It's not every day you get dragged before a tribunal and you both need to be at your best. Tomorrow at dusk the Captain decides your fate!"

The lighting dimmed at the man's departure, footsteps echoing and fading away. Silence once more, every sound, his breathing, water dripping was amplified.

He sheathed his swords and rushed to the bars seperating himself from Nami. After a few moments of frustration, figuring out the angle, he found that there was spacing between some of the bars and reached through, barely managing to grab onto her hand.

Gritting his teeth, knowing he'd probably hurt her, he took hold of her hand and pulled her across the ground until she was right next to the bars. She didn't react, not a wince, not a flinch, nothing. Her skin was cold to the touch, her breathing light and noisy, a rattle in her chest with every breath. She needed help, he needed to get her out of here.

Zoro gripped her hand, leaning his forehead against the bars as he looked down at her.

"What the fuck do I do Nami? You're always the one who gets us out of these situations..." He muttered.

Her eyes fluttered and she squeezed his hand weakly. "Zoro..." she whispered, and she began to cough, her whole body shuttering with each cough, her hand coming away from her mouth streaked with blood.

"Save us..." Her eyes rolled back in her head and her whole body went slack.


	11. Horror

AN: Over 1000 views! Thank you guys so much for reading and supporting this story! Keep the reviews up, they really keep me motivated, and let me know what you guys liked. I'm a sucker for a detailed review.

Quick note to everyone...this story has a while to go, it's gonna be roller coaster ride and with every up comes a down. Even when it gets a little dark bear with it, and keep in mind, I'm a hopeless romantic at heart and I love happy endings. Thanks guys and keep those reviews coming!

Disclaimer: I own lots of things...my stone age computer, my awesome skull and crossbones coffee cup and a wild 7 year old who keeps me busier than you can imagine. Sadly, One Piece isn't something I own, so please don't sue :)

Theme: # 65 Horror

Rating: M-there are some VERY dark themes in this chap, be warned

Words: 1813

Chapter 11

They'd found the ruins on the top of the peak, what was left of them at any rate. It was obvious something had happened here. The air around them was hot and sticky, the jungle around them alive with sounds even in the darkness.

Stone was toppled like a child's building block set when knocked over. Glass littered the area and there was a nice collection of bullet casings.

The Strawhat crew was subdued, quiet, as they spread out carefully to search the wreckage. Franky had collected the bullet casings and Robin examined the stones.

"Just like the other ruins, these were aged and set up to look like an ancient temple. The workmanship is shoddy at best. An actual temple wouldn't have toppled like this." She said, stepping back to get a view of the pattern. "I'm willing to bet these blocks were somewhere in the middle and an explosion pushed them outward."

"Like one of Zoro's attacks?" Luffy asked, climbing atop one of the stone blocks to look around.

Sanji lit a cigarette, peering closer at the same block. "From the way these cuts are etched into stone, I'd say that's a pretty good guess. What's with all the glass though? Kinda weird for a temple."

"I've never seen glass in temples." Brook agreed.

"I'm not sure it's glass, guys..." Usopp had taken a seat and was examining shards, holding them up with a flash light, one of his binoculars acting almost as a jeweller's scope so he could take a closer look. "I mean, there's no doubt they were mirrors, but this many of them? That and the texture of these...it's not glass." He muttered.

"We can take a look at them on the ship under the microscope." Chopper suggested, "Maybe we can figure out what it is, where it's made, that would help right?"

"That's a great idea Chopper." Robin agreed, moving into what looked like the epicenter of the explosion, Franky following her, still looking at the casings.

"It almost looks like this was a hall of mirrors..." Robin said thoughtfully. As with all ruins, some she'd been to had been less intact than others. She mentally would try to sort the pieces into their rightful places and get a view for how a place may have once been.

"Like at a carnival?" Luffy asked, hopping down, glass crunching under his sandals.

"Yes..." Robin answered.

"Or a trap." Franky muttered, "Most of these casings come from standard marine issued rifles. Some of them though are a little fancier and I don't recognize the manufacturer's symbol on 'em..."

"On the ship, they're may be a book or two that can help you..." Robin started to say, trailing off. Franky's eyes trailed to where Robin was staring.

"Holy hell, that's a lot of blood..." He muttered.

The other's moved over to take a look and Luffy clenched his fists. "You think one of them got hurt?" He asked quietly.

"It's hard to tell who it may have been but..." Chopper swallowed, "That amount of blood is life threatening." He said, choking up. "We have to find them! They need help!"

"We'll find them but we need to think this out. I think a step in the right direction is following the trail." Sanji pointed out, motioning to the trail of blood, leading away from the destroyed temple and back into the jungle. "Marimo left us a trail through the trees even a blind man could follow."

Sure enough, there seemed to be a noticeable trail cut through the trees and under brush, though it was unclear if it had actually been Zoro. Sanji's words were mere speculation but it gave the crew enough push and motivation to continue the search.

"Let's go guys. We're not stopping til we find them!" Luffy called.

Zoro felt panic, helplessness, the like of which he'd never felt as he tried to get Nami to respond, shouting, shaking the navigator. She was pale, her lips turning blue and she was barely breathing. He knew she was staring death in the face and there was nothing he could do for her.

He jumped to his feet, pulling a sword, determined to make as much noise as possible. That nut job of a doctor had said that they wanted her alive for the time being right? As much as it made him sick to ask the bastard for help, his options were limited.

"Hey! Someone help her!" He shouted, his voice echoing deafeningly, his sword's blows ringing off the bars. "Come on you bastards!" He raged. He had no doubt the place was under surveillance. These guys were well organized.

After an what seemed like an eternity he heard a door slam open from somewhere in the darkness and the crazy laughter he'd come to recognize as the crackpot doctor's. He did feel some relief and sincerely hoped that despite the man's clear insanity, that the doctor term was earned. If Nami lived that was all that mattered right? After all they'd been through, they could get through anything else.

There were more than one set of footsteps and as the grotesque squat figure of Doctor Dizzle came into view, Zoro could clearly see he wasn't alone. There were three other men with him, all of them decked out in similar attire, though they looked like your standard, run of the mill crooks. Varying heights and hairstyles but the bland aggressive expressions were those he'd recognize anywhere from his years a bounty hunter. Guys you could pick up in a bar for the highest bid, the sort that were a dime a dozen.

"Raging out like the animal you are, I'm not sure why I expected anything more from you!" The doctor cackled gleefully. "What's wrong? Your accommodations not all that you'd hoped for?"

Zoro swallowed down the anger that welled up, the urge to try and slash through the bars and gut the men before him, opting to keep calm and try to reason with him.

"Look, you said you're a doctor and you need her alive right? She needs help." Zoro said, sheathing his sword and motioning to where Nami lay. She hadn't moved, her complexion growing ashen even in the poor lighting.

"The great pirate hunter himself pleading for help, that's something you don't get everyday." One of the thugs chuckled as the Doctor took out a key like device. Zoro watched as he opened the bars, seeming to key in a code as well as using the physical key, filing the information away for later.

The men entered the cell, the doctor seeming to assess Nami as the other three took a look at the navigator. Zoro moved his vantage point to keep an eye on what was happening.

One of the men let out a low whistle. "What a piece of ass...think the Cap would mind if we had a little fun with her before we save her doc?"

The doctor waved him off, using a stethoscope to take Nami's vitals. "Ah ah ah, Grims. I know where your tastes lie and Captain's orders are to keep her alive. You know that. Now, if you want to discuss with him what he'll do with her after, that's your choice."

Grims and the other two snickered, keeping back and letting Dizzle do his work.

Zoro felt rage well up inside him, cold hard disgust but all he could do was watch as Nami was moved to the center of the room.

"My tools, boys. Quit standing around drooling all over yourselves. I need to operate." Dizzle snapped and the men kicked into action, bringing in a case of what looked more like medieval torture devices rather than medical instruments. Then again, the only comparison Zoro could call to mind were the tools Chopper used.

A light was brought in and everything was set up around Nami. Zoro paced the bars, tensing as the other three men moved around the Doctor to assist.

"Cut her shirt open, Tubbs, her lung's collapsed, do I need to tell you ingrates everything? Where the hell were you when I trained you?" Dizzle raged.

He was laying out the instruments, which Zoro was sure should have gleamed. Maybe he was imagining things but they seemed dull and dirty.

Tubbs let out a low pitched giggle, that made him sound far less intelligent than he looked, which was really saying something. "No prob, Doc." He picked up a pair of the scissors, getting to work cutting Nami's shirt off of her and the other man moved to remove the makeshift bandage.

Zoro could only look on in horror as time and time again the men made comments and let their hands wander. The doctor seemed to tolerate all this.

"Fucking save her already!" Zoro snarled, rattling the bars.

"Ho ho...think he likes her Razor," Tubbs chuckled, elbowing the other man, who snickered.

"Don't worry, Pirate Hunter," Grims assured him, "We'll take real good care of your girlfriend," he laughed as he groped Nami's chest. "Least you got good taste. Most of the time a girl with boobs this size, they ain't real."

Zoro stared the other man down, willing him to drop dead on the spot, his gaze promising murder. Despite having eyes that were as cold and dead as a corpse it was Grims who looked away first, unable to hold up to Zoro's stare.

"Enough taunting the animal," Dizzle said, shoving the three men back away from Nami. He took a large needle and with a flick of his wrist inserted it right below the wound in her shoulder. There was a rush of air and the Doctor nodded in approval.

"There we are, her lungs will be fine now. I'm going to fix up this gunshot wound here and she should be dandy." He shook his head, picking up a scalpel and beginning to excise the wound. "The captain really should be more careful with his toys. He nearly killed her."

Zoro watched for the first few minutes before the horror of it all was just too much. His head was swimming and he felt dizzy and nauseous. He took a seat, his back to the bars, still listening to what was happening and rested his forehead on his knees. He concentrated on his breathing, focused on not vomiting in front of these morons.

Above all else he willed Nami to pull through. SHe was one of the strongest people he'd ever met, both mentally and physically despite her cowardly outbursts from time to time. She'd grown up and survived under Arlong, stared death in the face on many an occasion just like he and the others, hell, when he'd first met her the crazy girl had but a cannon fuse out with her bare hands!

She'd make it, that much he was sure of.


	12. Silence

Theme: # 15 Silence

Rating: M

Words: 1444

Disclaimer: As always, don't own it, don't sue :)

Chapter 12

The trail through the jungle had ended abruptly and the sight of the orange field under the silvery moon had been breathtaking in it's beauty. But like most things beautiful in nature, it too had a wicked secret that thankfully Chopper had warned them about.

The beautiful orange blossoms were actually a very rare form of poppy, far more potent than it's medicinal cousin, the opium poppy. Just a shake of the flower was enough to loosen the potent pollen and dust that coated the flower, and a whiff of its sickly sweet scent enough to knock a person into oblivion.

The crew had tied handkerchiefs, bandannas or bits of cloth around their faces before entering the field, which would keep them safe from the plant's effects.

There were definite signs of a struggle, a fight. Swatches of flowers, ripped away, trampled or burned and they could see the spot where Zoro had unleashed the attack that had caught their eye from the shore and the path the attack had taken.

It was silent in the field, peaceful and serene despite the signs that all had not gone well for their nakama. It was almost surreal, each of them absorbing the clues and taking it all in their own way.

Frustration, anger, tears.

Nami and Zoro were gone, stolen and somehow they were left to decipher the clues or live with not seeing them again.

"The trail ends here. There's some blood and it's pretty obvious someone was laying here...and if Marimo was fighting then Nami..." Sanji clenched his jaw, his voice raw with emotion and frustration.

"She's fine. Zoro won't go down without a fight and they're together. He'll keep her safe." Luffy said, absolute faith in his first mate, his tone booking no argument, except from the chef.

"He let her get hurt, shot probably." Sanji pointed out.

"Swords-bro is good, but he can't stop a bullet dude. He's only human..." Franky said with a shrug.

"He can sure as hell take one for her!" Sanji shouted, looking for an outlet for his anger and moving to get into Franky's face, only to be held back by Robin.

"Fighting isn't going to find them. We don't know what the situation was and it's unfair to judge it until we have all the facts. Zoro would never willingly let Nami get hurt and you know that as well as I," She said giving Sanji a meaningful look before letting him go.

Chopper sat next to Usopp, eyes large and filled with tears, Usopp patting him on the back, looking shell shocked.

Brook seemed to be examining something at the edge of the field when he straightened up, "Guys! Check this out!"

The others picked their way through the field to where Brook stood and saw Nami's climatact, dug into the ground with a letter attached.

"I think you may want to read this..." Brook said, untying it and starting to hand it to Luffy. Sanji snatched it away.

"You all know he'll just get pissed and tear it up and then we'll never know what happened. I'm sick of getting dragged into war zones with half the information."

Luffy charged him and Sanji merely stuck his foot out, pushing on Luffy's head with the sole of his shoe as he read aloud, the Captain snarling and protesting. It should have been comical really but the seriousness of the situation had them drawn to the letter's contents.

My dear Strawhats,

As you may have pieced together by now, all is not what meets the eye on this little isle of my design. I do hope you like it though, I worked hard and spent a small fortune to make it welcoming. Everything leading up to this has been prearranged. After a long year of trying to track Cat Burgler Nami since her departure from Arlong, I finally had a stroke of luck sighting you on Taras. It was a small out of the way little dump and the lot of you looked worn down. No wonder, it was short after that I heard about your battle with Gecko Moria. Well played, Strawhat.

It was easy enough to send someone aboard to sabotage your water stocks, and of course again when you restocked at Sundial Cove. The weather of course played marvellously into my hands. Even I can't control that, so it was a stroke of luck.

To cut to the chase, your beloved Nami cost me nearly everything with her little schemes and I swore revenge. She and I go way back. It's taken me years to get here. The Pirate Hunter was never a part of the plan but considering the bounty on his head, we decided to take him along anyway.

They are being kept in an undisclosed location. Don't bother checking the island, we will be long gone by the time you figure all this out. After I am done with them I made a promise to turn them over to the marines, dead or alive. I hope you understand that they will not survive this, or at least Nami won't. I have yet to decide the fate of the Swordsman. That being said, the turnover point will be an island I will reveal to you in time. The date as well.

Stay well Strawhat and await my next correspondence.

Sincerely yours,

Captain J.S. Liloquois

Sanji let his foot down, barely feeling Luffy tackle him to get the letter away, reading over it quickly, over and over.

"That bastard can't just take my crew away!" Luffy shouted, "Who does he think he is?!"

His hand crumpled the paper.

"We need to find out who this guy is, and come up with a way to find them. And for now the best place to start is the ship." Usopp said, shaking with anger.

"I'll rip him apart, I'll...I'll-" Luffy was angrier than they'd seen him in a long time, and that was saying something. He seemed, stunned, close to tears as the reality of it all sunk in. It was usually Zoro that spoke up around this time, and got them all back on track, no matter if it was a little harsh.

Robin saw that the wall Luffy leaned on when things happened was gone and she glanced at the crew. There was almost a sense of desperation in the air.

"Usopp-kun, that's a good idea. I'm sure we can figure out who he is and where to start looking." She assured him.

Sanji stood to the side and Robin gave him a pointed look, nodding to Luffy. Sanji sighed, approaching the younger man.

"Come on, shitty captain. Let's go back to the ship and plan how we're gonna kick this guy's ass. I might even make a snack." He elbowed Luffy slightly and there was a ghost of that smile.

It wasn't Luffy's famous grin, but he'd take it.

At some point he must have dozed off. He'd been fighting so hard against his own rage, anger and weakness that his brain must have just shut off. He couldn't think of any other explanation.

When he woke it was start.

Silence. No voices, no laughter, no degrading comments. Just silence that roared in his ears louder than a freight train.

"Nami!" He called out jumping to his feet, moving to look through the bars that never ceased to annoy him.

He nearly sighed in relief when he saw her, lying next to the bars. The doctor was an insane bastard but he could tell from her color that she was better and she was breathing. She was breathing without a sound, no gasping for air, no rasping.

Her shoulder was bandaged but the doctor hadn't bothered giving her a blanket or any clothing. Her shirt lay in tatters around her form, barely covering her bra.

Zoro sat down next to the bars heavily, feeling almost boneless as the adrenaline left his system. He felt exhausted, his body ached. The chill only made it worse. Every injury, every fracture, bruise and wound he'd sustained on Thriller Bark seemed to vie for his attention all at once, telling him with clarity what he already knew. He wasn't strong enough to get out of this one.

He reached his hand through the bars, reaching for Nami's hand. Her skin felt soft, warm to the touch. He leaned against the bars. She'd have an idea when she woke up. She always did.

A breathy sigh broke the silence, almost sounding content her hand curling against his, and just for a second, Zoro could close his eyes and let that small sound warm his heart.


	13. Tears

AN: This chapter contains a few flashbacks and dreams which are in italics. I was going to throw some lyrics in here, for the song that inspired this chapter but decided against it. Most of the time music inspires me more than anything else. I may do that for future chapters though. The song that sparked ideas was Evenesence's My Last Breath. Check it out :) As always, please leave me a review, let me know what you liked, disliked, any suggestions :)

Theme: #26 Tears

Words: 1012

Rating: M

Disclaimer: Still don't own One Piece.

AN: This chapter contains a few flashbacks, which are in italics. As always, please leave me a review, let me know what you liked, disliked, any suggestions :)

Chapter 13:

Cold and damp. She'd been in here this time for days and she could hardly remember when she'd last eaten or the last time she'd been warm and pain free.

She shivered, trying to still her body, as each movement sent pain surging through her. The filth and grime around her was unbearable, but it was worse at night when the rats came out.

Shuddering, she lay her body on the dirty ground, the scraps of cloth tighter around her broken body and let the tears soak the dirt .

Zoro was jolted awake by a hand gripping his with surprising strength. He could hear Nami sniffling. The lights had been shut out at some point, indicating it was probably night. He could barely make out her outline in the dark, but could feel her shivering though her skin was burning to the touch.

Fever. She was burning up and there was nothing he could do. Leaning back against the bars, he moved his chilled hand through the bars and rested it on her forehead. She seemed calmed by the motion, reassured somehow and he too drifted into a restless slumber.

He was livid. She hadn't made it back with anything more than the clothes on her back and a broken boat. It wasn't even the same boat she'd left with.

She tried to explain the circumstances but every word out of her mouth seemed to enrage him more. She watched as he approached, feeling a strange apathy to it, an almost out of body experience that had been happening more often than not as of late.

What was the worst he could do right? Kill her? Then she would be truly free.

She smiled slightly at the thought, but pushed it away. No, the worst he could do was to let her live. Like when he'd thrown her to his men and they'd left her in the dungeon when they were done. She suppressed a shudder as a hand went around her throat. She struggled, clawed but to no avail. He had skin like a thousand tiny knives and all she succeeded in was bloodying her own hands.

She felt as if she were floating as the tears streamed, heard him taunting her, and then her world faded and she heard no more.

She awoke to a world unlike she'd ever known, frozen and blindingly white, her breath freezing before her mouth and nose, seeming to crystallize in her lungs with every breath.

She sat up and stared in wonder at the frozen landscape, like a world of diamonds, everything seemingly flash frozen in an instant. Ice crackled under her feet as she stood, and though she should have been much colder than she was, she felt nothing but numbness. Was she dead or was this a dream? She had to be dreaming.

She'd been dreaming all along hadn't she? She'd been dreaming of things better left in the past, of the time before she'd met Luffy and the others.

She glanced around frantically, ice glinting off of the trees. Zoro, where was he? She couldn't remember when she'd last seen him. Had they separated them, whoever it was?

She walked, trying to look for a clue, anything, trying to remember. A jungle, a temple, glass, pain! So much pain!

She felt it tear through her body, drawing a frozen gasp from her, her hand going to her shoulder. The white gown she wore turned crimson as the blood soaked through the thin material. She brought her hand to her shoulder as the blood poured out of her.

There was so much of it, it wasn't stopping. How much could she loose before it was too late?

Her body felt heavy, tingly as she sat down on the ice, watching it begin to turn red. Maybe it wasn't a dream after all, maybe this was it.

Her eyes were half lidded as she lay back. She'd never see her dream, never see the faces of the crew again. There was a blur above her, just the slightest flash of green.

Zoro. Her hand reached up, as if to reach out to him.

Her breath filled her lungs just once more. She was so tired, cold.

'Zoro...I'm so sorry...I never told you...' She whispered as white faded to black.

She let out a gasp, breathing in, feeling as if she'd been underwater and she could barely make out her surroundings, as dark as it was. She new someone was close to her and she almost panicked feeling the hand against hers.

She felt the gentle squeeze, the way the large hand almost completely enveloped her's, the rough texture of the skin. Hands that worked hard, the hands of a swordsman. She managed to calm down, calling out tentatively. "Zoro?"

"I'm here." He answered.

Relief surged through her and her hand moved up, feeling bars between them. She wanted to ask but she felt exhausted, drained.

Her shoulder throbbed, though the pain seemed manageable if she stayed still.

"I'm cold..." She muttered, feeling the cool damp air around them, seeming to creep from the stone floor to her very bones.

There was a sound, almost like a relieved chuckle, though he sounded equally exhausted. "Your fever's broken."

His hand moved from hers to her forehead, resting there for a minute. Instead of pulling it away he seemed to hesitate, his hand moving down her face, almost like a caress, but so quick it could have been an accidental brush in the dark. He shifted, settling against the bars and her hand sought out his again, seeking the reassurance that he was still there.

They said nothing and she was sure he'd drifted off again as she lay there, trying to figure out what had happened. Fever. That explained the dreams.

Her eyelids were growing heavy but she couldn't help but wonder why her face felt so warm where he'd touched her. Her hand moved to her cheek and she realized he'd brushed away the tears she hadn't even realized were there.


	14. Childhood

Theme: #48 Childhood

Rating: M

Words

Disclaimer: Still don't own One Piece, if I did, there would definitely be more ZoNa.

Chapter 14

Zoro wasn't sure how long he'd been asleep, how much time had passed since they'd been locked in the dank dungeon. At some point the lights had come back on.

He winced as he shifted, sitting completely upright from his slumped position against the bars, feeling much older than his almost 20 years, his body protesting, joints popping as he moved.

Nami was awake, he noted in relief, her brown eyes focused on him, watching his every movement. She lay on her side, head pillowed on her uninjured arm, curled against the bars, as if to be as near as possible to him.

"How are you feeling?" He asked. Her color was definately better and the bandage on her shoulder was clean, unsoiled, which was a good sign. She still looked tired but her eyes were clear and alert.

"Better, though my shoulder hurts like hell..." She said quietly. Her eyes focused on him, "What happened?"

He hesitated, not really sure where to even start or how much she remembered or had been aware of. He still had more questions than answers at this point and no idea how to get out of the mess they were in.

"Someone's holding us captive, though I don't have a damn clue who he is or what he wants." Zoro admitted. "Other than the crazy doctor who patched you up and his goon squad, no one's been down here..." Though he was grateful that Nami had been saved, he still felt rage everytime he thought about how Nami had been treated.

Her eyes took in his expression, seeing the tension and anger there, the clenching of his jaw. She knew him well enough to see the flickers of emotion in the stoic, uncaring facade he wore.

"I remember the temple," She admitted, lowering her eyes, looking to the ground, the bars, anywhere but his face though she could feel his gaze on her.

"I remember the voices and shadows, and that's when it kind of all hit me, that I knew who was after us," She admitted quietly, "And it's all my fault we're in this situation..."

She heard an intake of breath, another. "Instead of saying who's fault it is, why don't you just tell me what we're up against here so we can get out of this." Zoro suggested, calm as ever.

When she hesitated, didn't answer she heard a sigh. "Look Nami. The doctor said something about his Captain wanting revenge against you, that he'll do whatever it takes to get it and then turn us over to the Marines. And judging from how much of a sick bastard this doctor and his cronies are, I need you to tell me what you know so there's no ugly surprises." Zoro explained.

Nami closed her eyes, as if ashamed, embarassed to speak. It seemed like everytime the demons of her past rose up once again, she'd go through this. She'd shut down.

"I'm not going to judge you, you know that don't you?" Zoro said quietly, trying to look her in the eye.

"The hell you won't." Nami snapped, her eyes full of fire as she looked at him. Her anger was directed at herself more than at him but she needed to lash out. She struggled to sit up wincing in pain as she braced her shoulder.

"Look, no matter how bad it was-" Zoro started to say, cut off by Nami.

"You have no idea what bad is." She said, her voice low and full of held back emotion, anger.

She waved a hand, indicating their surroundings. "This place? This is like a palace compared to where I spent time as a kid. There's no rats, no visitors in the night..." Her voice cracked and she took a minute to breath, "I had to do whatever I could to help my island, my family and at some point it didn't really matter anymore how much I damned myself, what I did, how much collatoral damage I left behind..." She said defensively.

Zoro kept his expression blank, listening. He'd grown close to Nami over the past year of their travels together. More often than not the two of them would spend time together, drinking, talking. He'd gotten to know her fairly well, or at least as much as Nami allowed. There was a lot to Nami that she kept blocked off from everyone, including him and the more he got to know her, the more he wanted the privelege of being let into that world, no matter what her secrets were, no matter how dark her past was.

Perhaps that was the tension as of late, she'd grown on him in ways he couldn't have ever planned or imagined and he wanted some level of closeness, more from her. Nami was a brilliant woman and at least as good as he was at reading people. She'd most likely sensed it somehow and started picking fights more often, ignoring him, going out of her way to avoid having to be near him.

And despite the circumstances and situation they were in, he couldn't help but think that he'd been given a chance to fix that, to get her to open up, to get closer, even if it was only to get them out of the situation they were in. He would take what he could get.

"Collatoral damage huh?"

Nami snorted distainfully, "Yeah. More than you can imagine." She stared at him, anger burning her gaze to his, "I screwed him over. It was a brilliant scheme really, took a lot of time and Arlong...he was less than thrilled until he saw the money." She diverted her gaze.

"This Captain...he goes by the name Liloquois. I recognized his laugh and his powers in the maze..." Nami admitted.

"Devil fruit user..." Zoro muttered.

Nami nodded, "It's called the Image-Image fruit, or something like that...It's like he steals an 'image' of a person...kind of like a carbon copy. It's not perfect but it's enough when he does it to a group of marines...they're kind of like shadow puppets then I guess. The more you hit them, the more they fade into nothing but if he makes enough of them..."

Zoro nodded, everything starting to make sense. He'd thought that he'd gone crazy, that his senses had completely left him at some point during the fighting and he had no doubt that the field of flowers they'd been in had contributed, but it all made sense in a way.

"I understand why I couldn't really see them clearly."

Nami nodded, hands in her lap as she examined her fingernails.

"There's more to this story, Nami." Zoro said, gently prompting her to continue.

"I-," Nami started, glancing at him and then away. She seemed to find her resolve and forced herself to continue, her voice forcibly void of emotion, cold.

"He was a pirate, who'd set up a fleet and had a pretty lucrative gig going on. A bunch of legit businesses, some not so legit and a fleet of pirating ships. Because he was a business owner, paid taxes to the Government and all that, the navy kind of turned a blind eye to him, even supported his trade company. I basically showed up and manipulated the situation. I made him fall in love with me, hook line and sinker." She looked at Zoro at last. "He would have given me the world you know, and he wasn't a bad guy...and when he finally gave me his trust, access to everything, I took it all away, everything. By the time he'd figured out that what I had done, I was long gone, with his money, his valuables, his company was in ruin, even his ships..." A ghost of a smile crossed her face. "It was the best heist I'd ever planned and it went beautifully, I just never thought I'd regret it."

Zoro let the information sink in, watching her as she struggled to control her emotions. "Did you care for him?"

Nami shook her head. "No, even though I played the role, there never was that spark there." She glanced to him, a self depricating smile on her face. "That makes me a horrible person doesn't it?"

"You did what you had to, to survive." Zoro told her firmly. Although he had to admit, that sometimes it worried him what Nami really was capable of, he couldn't find it in him to think less of her. He respected the fact that she had survived, despite all she'd lived through. A lesser person would have never made it, and the fact that she was sane spoke volumes for her strength.

"I guess your right." Nami said, not really sounding convinced. She clenched a fist, glancing away, seeming to be blinking back tears. "I was so angry then. I wanted to lash out, to hurt someone the way Arlong had hurt me. I wanted all the manipulation and games and everything to be directed at someone else for once. I wanted to avenge the childhood I never had somehow...and I never thought twice until later on..."

She closed her eyes tightly, "And now we're here...He's going to destroy me you know..."

Zoro's hand reached through the bar. He expected her to shove his hand away, shrug him off and was surprised when he felt her hand squeeze his. "We'll get out of this." He assured her, "We're Strawhats. It's what we do."


	15. Tower

Theme: # 54 Tower

Rating: M

Words: 1562

Disclaimer: As always, I don't own One Piece. It still belongs to the great and very awesome Oda-sama.

Chapter 15

A door somewhere down the hall opened with a loud metallic clang, startling them both with its suddenness.

Zoro tensed, hearing a group approaching and not just one set. He recognized without having to see them, the footsteps of the doctor and the three men from earlier. Their boots and gait patterns made them unique but there were at least three others with them.

The doctor approached the bars, his men flanking him with a wide and assorted array of weapons.

Zoro had gotten to his feet at their approach and eyed them warily through the bars.

"Wild as ever I see," The doctor grinned, his fouled teeth gleaming under the dim lighting. His attention turned to Nami, who still sat on the floor, against the bars. "Ah, my dear. You're awake!" He seemed delighted by this turn of events.

"Um..yeah?" Nami said hesitantly, trying without succeeding at hiding her disgust. There was a round of murmers, barely audible comments and snickers from the men around the doctor as they eyed Nami.

Zoro saw Nami get to her feet, and although she must have been in pain, she did it without so much as a grimace. She stood there, proud and unashamed despite the jeers and whispers from the men and the state of her clothing.

The doctor gave her a once over that made Zoro's skin crawl. "I'm Doctor Dizzle. These men and I are going to be escorting the two of you to your trial.

Nami smirked at that, her eyes gleaming in that way when she knew she had the upper hand. "You morons can't put us on trial. We're wanted by the World Government and there are rules for this sort of thing. After what we pulled at Enies Lobby, the World Government isn't going to just let someone steal their thunder." She pointed out.

Zoro fought the urge to roll his eyes, not really sure if Nami was making things better.

It was Dizzle's turn to grin and look gleeful. "Au contraire my dear. You see, the Captain has cleared all this with the powers that be and considers this to be a civil suit of sorts. But in interest of government spending and not tying up the courts with this kind of drivel, they elected a court official to oversee this whole thing. The condition is that when you are done serving out your punishment here, that we turn you over to the world government, dead or alive." He shrugged, "For them it doesn't matter one way or another really as long as they get you."

"That's bullshit!" Nami shouted, "You can't just manipulate the system like that!"

Dizzle snickered, "You are one to talk Miss Nami. Now be a good girl and let us cuff you." He said approaching the bars.

"Like hell," Nami snarled, backing away.

Zoro started to pull a sword, "Over my dead body."

One of the men approached the bars, laughing, "That can be arranged Pirate Hunter." He drew a sword and was shoved aside by the doctor, who held what looked like a bamboo straw. "Easy now, we don't want to kill the animal quite yet. Just sedate him a bit." With that he put the straw to his mouth.

Zoro dodged the small projectile, a dart of some kind but in his movements to slash the second, he never saw a third dart until he felt it hit him.

His hand moved to his neck, pulling the dart quickly but he knew it was too late. He could already feel his body growing sluggish, off balance. It was like being drunk in a way and he fought against it, trying to will it away and focus.

The bars to both cells were open and he could hear Nami yelling. He smiled when he heard one of the men go down.

"Little bitch kicked me in the balls!" He shouted.

"Man up and grab her!" Shouted another. There was scuffling, the sound of a struggle and chains. Zoro knew even injured she wouldn't go down without a fight.

The man who'd taunted Zoro earlier approached with his sword. Even as disoriented and sluggish as he was he managed to disarm the man quickly, taking the man hostage, his sword against the man's neck, drawing blood. He didn't hear the person behind him until it was too late and he could have kicked himself for the lapse as he felt the blow to the back of his neck. It struck a pressure point, turning his limbs to jelly, his sword clattering on the ground beside him as he hit. He could feel a knee on his back, applying pressure to his spine to keep him down and he heard a rattle of cuffs.

"No you moron," Doctor Dizzle shouted to the man who was apparently trying to cuff him. "The seastone cuffs are useless, use the iron ones. They'll hold and weigh him down."

The cuffs were finally on him and he was hauled to his feet. An ugly face appeared in front of his. "Don't remember me do ya Pirate Hunter?" The man sneered, his breath reeking of stale rum.

"Can't say I do..." Zoro muttered, trying to clear his head, feeling as if he'd had one too many himself.

"You killed a buddy of mine back in East Blue. Been a few years. He didn't do nothin to ya either. Just tried to keep ya away from our boss and all. You stood there, slashin around with your swords and hauled away the boss." He spit next to Zoro's foot, illustrating his dislike for the former Pirate Hunter.

"Yeah well, he probably came after me with a weapon, and if that's the case, it was self defence. Besides, if I hauled your boss in, I can't imagine your buddy was any less of a scumbag than he was." Zoro pointed out, wondering why he was even trying to reason with this guy. Had to be the drug in his system.

The man's face colored and turned even uglier as he sneered, clenching his fist and punching Zoro in the face.

Zoro managed to keep his footing, though only because he was being held up and shoved forward. The guy landed three blows before being pulled out of the way.

"That's enough now." Dizzle said as Zoro was unceremoniously thrown to the ground next to Nami. She was also cuffed, her face tense, more than likely from pain.

Dizzle and the men were off to the side, more than likely coordinating what happened next.

Nami leaned in close and Zoro wondered how it still was that she managed to smell like tangerines after being in this place for a day or so. Her hair brushed against him and he could feel her warm breath on his skin as she spoke. He fought back a shiver. That had to be the drugs too, that just her proximity would effect him so much.

"Your bleeding." She pointed out. "One of the jerks manage to get a hit in?"

Zoro nodded, regretting it, feeling his head spin. "Asshole doctor drugged me with somethin'." He could feel blood trickling from his nose and his cheekbone and around his eye felt tender.

Nami blinked, hearing how his words were slurred, "You sound drunk." she pointed out, slightly amused despite the situation.

"Glad to see that makes you happy..." He muttered, "I feel drunk, couldn't get out of the way quick enough..."

"It's alright. We'll find another chance." She assured him, determined.

They were both hauled to their feet and Dizzle looked between the two of them. "What were you two love birds whispering about? Dirty secrets? Pillow talk?"

"Jealous?" Nami sneered.

The grin fell from his face and he motioned for them to be pushed down the hall. "Let's go have you face the music, you little tramp."

Despite feeling like he could barely move, Zoro forced himself to stay alert and try to get a layout of where they were being kept.

Nami walked beside him, her face one he recognized when she was concentrating on something. Her mouth moved slightly and he realized she was probably counting paces.

At the end of the long dark hall was the metal door he'd heard and they were led through it and up a winding flight of stairs.

The sky above them as they exited the stone structure was dark, almost black and the air was heavy with ozone, indicating a storm. The wind howled around them but it was fresh. Both Zoro and Nami savored it for a moment as they moved along a path. It seemed to be a compound, multiple buildings all made of the same stone. All except one.

A tall black tower rose above them and they were led to stand in front of it, Doctor Dizzle pausing, as if for dramatic effect in front of the door.

"Welcome to the Tower of Death. Once you cross the thresh hold, all hope is lost."

"You know, I think we heard that somewhere before..." Zoro muttered, rolling his eyes and glancing to Nami. She too seemed less than amused and no more impressed than he was.

A grin of pure amusement broke across Dizzle's face. "Oh ho. But this time, your Captain isn't here to get your ass out of this mess."


	16. Rated

AN: Thank you all for reading the story, sticking with it. Thanks to my dedicated reviewers who always take the time to drop a line and let me know what they thought, you guys are awesome. I'd love to hear what the rest of you think, drop me a line, submit a review :)

Theme: #40 Rated

Rating: M

Words: 2790

Disclaimer: Still don't own One Piece. If I did, there would be way more ZoNa moments.

Chapter 16:

The door leading into a tower opened up into a long hall, doorways on both sides and a massive spiral staircase at the end of it. The interior was just as dark as the tower itself, in dark stone and wood. Lighting fixtures hung from the ceiling, wrought iron, the lamps dimly lit.

Nami and Zoro were shoved forward toward one of the doors. Neither of them were sure what to expect but the room they were brought into looked like a courtroom to their surprise.

There was a podium toward the front, one seat raised higher than the others, people already seated. Two tables were placed before the podium and rows of seats filled the rest of the room. There was a motley assortment of people there. In the pews sat groups of men, typical men of the sea, pirates really by their appearance. Others seemed more like dockworkers and others like they belonged in an office rather than among the others.

They were shoved into seats in front of the podium in front of the watchful eyes of a row of men who looked more like executioners in their masks than guards.

Nami swallowed hard as she gazed up at the podium to the man that was at the center of the whole thing, a man she hadn't laid eyes on in nearly four years, someone she'd thought she'd left in the past for good.

He looked almost the same as he had then with his long blond hair and almost beautiful good looks. He looked as if he should be on a magazine cover as a model rather than a business man and pirate. He wore the same style clothing as he had then, almost over the top pirate garb, preferring frilled shirts and waistcoats with boots to a business suit. It'd always been his trademark and Nami had always found it silly really.

A glance to Zoro told Nami that the drug had really kicked in, he seemed groggy, sluggish, his eyes half lidded, though she wondered for a moment how much of it was for show because she could see he was tense and there was something there when he glanced back at her that told her he was more alert than she gave him credit for.

"That the guy?" Zoro muttered, keeping his voice low and leaning toward Nami. At her slight nod, Zoro snorted. "What a pansy..."

Nami did her best to hide her smile and gave Zoro a discreet shove, wincing as pain shot through her shoulder and cuffed arms.

The doors to the room slammed shut and a man who looked a step or two away from kicking the bucket on the spot stood on spindly legs. He had to be ancient, his eyes nearly hidden by wrinkles and his bushy white eyebrows.

He spoke up in a voice that sounded like it would break at any moment. "In the interest of sparing my time and the time of all the good folks who've assembled here-" He started, earning a snicker from many in the room, "I, Justice Barney Weatherborough, declare this court in session." His rheumy, barely visible eyes turned to the austentacious blond man. "Now good sir, If I may have my chair..."

The man sprung to his feet and gave a bow, motioning for the old man to sit, "Of course your Honor, I was just keeping it warm for you. I'm glad that the World Government was able to take the time to oversea this whole thing and make it official you know." He said with a smarmy smile, laying it on thick.

The old man nodded, motioning the other man to his seat, looking if he was shoo-ing away a pesky child.

Weatherborough took his seat, slipping on a pair of glasses and opening a folder in front of him. He cleared his throat. "Now, all of us are here today to discuss the case of Captain J.S. Liloquois vs. a woman simply known to the world as Cat Burgler Nami, currently of the Strawhat Pirates." He glanced down toward the table where Nami and Zoro were seated, "Do we have your information correct, young Miss?"

Nami gave a nod and felt a sharp jab from behind, against her injured shoulder. She could tell from the foul breath it was the crazy doctor.

"Stand up and answer the question properly." He hissed.

Nami blinked back tears of pain as she struggled to her feet, the iron chains weighing her down. "Yes sir."

The judge looked at her pointedly, or so it seemed. Nami could only make out the guy's eyebrows. "The charges are grave against you, you realize that don't you?"

Nami wanted to roll her eyes but kept her composure. "Yes sir." She answered again.

"These are just the charges from Captain Liloquois." Weatherborough started, adjusting his glasses and beginning to read, "Multiple counts of false pretence, theft, sabotage, destruction of property, arson, assault and battery of many of the captain's men and piracy." He glanced to Nami again, "And then there are the charges brought forth by the World Government itself, which include but are not limited to: Piracy, looting, theft, assault and battery, destruction of government property...I assure you that the list is far too long to read." The room was quiet as he looked at her for a good minute. "How does a young woman like you decide to through her life away like this? Become a top rated thief and resort to a life of piracy?" He asked.

Was this guy serious? Nami couldn't believe he'd asked what he had and she struggled to think of how to answer. She laughed, amused that a government official from the most corrupt organization the world had ever seen dared to ask her why she did what she did. "Shit happens." She answered finally. She knew she wasn't making a good impression on the man but she could care less. This whole trial, by World Government standards or otherwise was a farce of justice. There was no justice in the world they lived in and there couldn't be until things were fixed from the top down.

She heard a chuckle from beside her and knew that even though everyone in the room was against her, probably scandalized at this point, or at least pretending to be, she did have someone at her back. The fact that it was Zoro there with her made the whole thing a bit better.

She was told to take her seat as the administrative things were taken care of, witnesses were presented, facts told, retold, twisted and manipulated. She was certain hours had gone by.

Her shoulder was killing her, her hands going numb at some point from the chains, her whole upper body aching with every beat of her heart and she was bored to tears.

Zoro seemed to have dozed off at some point, having lost the fight with the sedative and only snapped to awareness when the doctor behind them prodded him.

The walls were made of solid stone, the windows at least 3 meters high off the ground and there were dozens upon dozens of armed men in the room, not to mention the executioner looking men in front of them. They'd probably been hired for their brutish, over-muscled bodies and strength rather than brains but with herself injured, chained and without a weapon and Zoro drugged and sans swords all the brilliant planning wouldn't get them out of this. They would have to wait for an opportunity to present itself.

Nami was snapped to attention by another prod as she saw Liloquois approaching the table. She watched him approach, keeping her expression blank and trying to sort out the emotions she felt upon seeing him again. Guilt was most of it, she knew she'd taken everything from the guy. She'd hardly been the token girlfriend. She'd been manipulative, abusive even. He hadn't deserved it and despite him having a screw loose now, she couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him. His eyes were definitely the biggest difference now. She could almost see the fever bright gleam of insanity in them as he stared her down.

"Well Nami, I know this whole thing seems to be one big boring joke to you but here we are."

Her arm was against Zoro's and she felt him tense, the only sign of awareness from him. She kept her focus on Liloquois and sat up straighter.

"You looking for an apology? Is that why I'm here? You went through a lot of trouble to get me here so let's talk." She said, trying to keep her voice neutral, even friendly.

"And listen to you try to spin your little web of manipulation?" He scoffed, giving her a smile that was full of malice, "That's why we're here. You are going to pay dearly for what you've done."

Nami looked down at the table in front of her, "Look, you have no idea why I had to do what I did and I'm really sorry, from the bottom of my heart for what I did. It wasn't easy to live with but trust me, I had to..."

"You don't have a heart." Liloquois said, reaching out to cup her chin, pulling roughly to force her to look at him.

"I loved you. You MADE me fall in love with you even though you were nothing but a bitch from the start. And when I finally loved you, you stole everything that you could, ran my company into the ground, ALMOST destroyed all ties I had worked so hard to earn with the World Government." He snapped, face inches from hers. "And if that weren't enough, when you were through with all that, you burned all my buildings to the ground, injured dozens of men to get away, stole my ship, sunk the others..." He thought for a moment, "Am I forgetting anything else?" His fever bright eyes lit up as he pretended to remember something.

"Ah yes, the fact that you gave my shipping fleet to Arlong on a silver platter! Do you know how many millions that cost me?!" Liloquois snarled. Nami had to move her head back to avoid the flying spittle as he raged, only to feel someone grab the back of her head to keep her looking at the man. Her eyes widened in realization at what he'd said and he smiled slyly at her.

"I didn't realize at the time that you worked for him of course. I found that out only recently when the Navy captured him you see. I had the privilege of sharing a few words with him before he was dragged away to Impel Down. Seems you had him wrapped around your little finger, you bitch."

"I was his fucking slave you bastard!" Nami shouted, feeling rage well up in her at the implication that all she'd done had been nothing more than a favor to Arlong, that she'd willingly worked for him.

"Say what you want, but honestly, what I heard from Arlong is the version I'll go with."

Nami struggled against the arms holding her back, trying to get to her feet, ignoring the pain all together. "You think I did all that willingly?! He was holding my village hostage! He killed my mother!" She screamed at him, eyes full of fire.

"Enough lying, you bitch! You used your charms to get your way into my bed and my life. I have no doubt you did the same with Arlong and your current Captain-" Liloquois started, cut off as his head slammed violently against the table in front of Nami. Zoro had kicked Liloquois' feet out from under him faster than anyone could blink and his face was right next to the man's.

"I'm pretty sure Nami's adult enough to ignore the name calling but implying she lied about something as serious as her own mother and raking up her past is enough to make me want to gut you on the spot. You speak another word against her or my Captain I'll go through with it, chains and all." Zoro vowed as he was pulled back away from Liloquois. It took a couple of the huge men in masks to accomplish the task and even so they were straining to try to hold him back.

The look in Zoro's eyes was one she rarely saw, full of the promise of blood and destruction. The room was silent, even the judge seemed chilled by the action and tension seemed to crackle in the air.

"Keep him restrained," Weatherborough ordered quietly. "We'll get to Mr. Roronoa momentarily. Hurry it along Captain Liloquois."

Liloquois mustered as much dignity as he could, brushing off and straightening his clothes and hair, making a show of it.

"The total penalty of what you've done amounts to over 890 million berri. Are you willing to pay the sum, considering it's the least you can do for what you've done to me?" Liloquois demanded.

Nami's eyes widened, "What?! Hell no! You aren't getting a single sent from me. You want to settle the score you take it up with Arlong!" She shouted.

"The total comes with a detailed invoice, Miss. If you agree to pay the penalty, you will be turned over to the Marines to face charges I mentioned previously. If you turn down the agreement, you will have to face imprisonment here prior to the turnover." Weatherborough interjected.

"Oh gee, what a choice!" Nami said sarcastically, glaring at the judge. "How are you even allowing this crap?!"

Weatherborough shrugged, "We all have our orders miss. I will need your choice."

"She's not paying the damn money, I'm not sure how she needs to make it more clear." Zoro said, exasperated.

Nami spared a glance, giving him a smile, a small thanks for his support. She saw the anger on his face, the impatience. He seemed to have fought off the drug and she wondered if he had something up his sleeve.

Weatherborough made a note and slammed the folder shut. "It is decided then. Cat Burgler Nami of the Strawhat Pirates is hereby sentenced to incarceration at this facility for a period of two weeks," A shout of protest went up from Liloquois and the old judge raised a hand to quiet him.

" A small troop of Marines from the local fleet will oversea that the period between now and the turnover goes smoothly and to supervise that nothing happens to Roronoa Zoro during that period of time. He is to be turned over unharmed, unscathed and in good health at the same time as Miss Nami. The turnover will take place on November 15th, midday in the Harbor. I wish you all good day."

"I was told that I could determine the term and the details!" Liloquois shouted, waving his hands.

The old man shrugged, "Things change my boy. The Navy thought sending two different transport ships was a waste of resources and Roronoa Zoro was never a part of your terms. Considering he can be used to lead to the capture of Strawhat Luffy, he is considered a priority." He shrugged again, attempting to look sympathetic to the wild eyed blond man. "Orders from the top, my hands are tied."

Liloquois was seething as Weatherborough stood, adjourning the court.

People began filing out, including Weatherborough, escorted by his staff and guards. It seemed even he didn't fully trust Liloquois.

Nami was roughly pulled to her feet and practically thrown to one of the guards, she and Zoro being shoved forward, toward the door. She glanced to Zoro again, watching him for any indication that he had a plan, her heart pounding, fear of the unknown kicking in with a vengeance. He moved stoicly tensing only as Liloquois approached Nami, moving beside her, his mouth right next to her ear.

"Things didn't go as I planned but all isn't lost, my dear. The next two weeks, I'll be sure to show you what hell is really like. What you did to me will seem like a vacation." He vowed.

Nami felt a thousand emotions spinning through her wildly and she was unsure of which one to latch onto. She wanted to break down and cry, she wanted to let rage take her over, scream to the heavens. She blinked back the tears that threatened to spill.

This insanity was all her fault, she'd done this. She tried to meet Liloquois' eyes.

"James...please...I'm so sorry..."

She felt her head snap to the side as he viciously slapped her and gave her a chilling smile.

"Save your tears, you'll need them."


	17. Light

AN: Another chapter :) I was going to try and get 2 written yesterday, but considering I wrote almost 3000 words for one chapter, I just didn't get it accomplished. Thank you all for your continued support and remember, read and review! I wanna hear those opinions :)

Theme: #3 Light

Rating: M

Words: 1160

Disclaimer: I own an old computer, barely running Windows 7, a crazy 7 year old and two dogs...other than that, nada...One Piece isn't mine, please don't sue

Chapter 17:

The two Strawhats were shoved outside into the blinding light, confirming Nami's theory that hours had gone by. The storm had blown over and the sun beat down like an interogation lamp, temporarily blinding them.

Nami's cheek still stung from the slap and she worked to blink back the tears that were blinding her, partially from the torrent of emotions she felt, partially from the sun.

She heard the scuffle of boots, the sound of chains from off to the side but didn't realize what was happening until she heard the thud of a body hitting the stone, the sound of shouting.

Her eyes cleared enough to see Zoro throw off two of the guards and twist his body, his muscles tensing in rippling with the motion. She swore she could see a faint glow coming off of him as he moved and to her amazement, the men around him were sent flying, crashing into the ground and stone around them. His eyes snapped to hers.

"Run!" He shouted, and Nami didn't need to be told twice.

She ran, hearing Zoro next to her. He leaned forward, nudging her with his shoulder, urging her to run faster. He was breathing heavily and she knew that whatever he'd done back there had taken a lot out of him.

Nami could feel the chains weighing her down with every step, her lungs and muscles burning from exertion already, her shoulder throbbing but she kept pace with Zoro, trying to find the quickest way through the maze of buildings around them.

"There!" She shouted, shoving into Zoro to get him to turn in the right direction. It was a road that seemed to lead down toward the distant coastline and it was there best bet. If they could find somewhere near the docks where they could get the chains off at least one of them, they could wait until it was dark and take a ship. She smiled, hopeful, knowing they could pull it off.

Suddenly in front of them, something blotted out the light as it moved to block off the corridor and the two were forced to skid to a stop.

"What the hell is that?" Nami asked, eyes widening as she looked up at the apperation, swearing her eyes were playing tricks on her.

It was fuzzy, barely visable and yet somehow opaque enough to blot out the light. It opened what seemed like a mouth, reavealing shimmering fangs at least as long as her arm and letting out a sound that chillled the blood in her veins.

"Are you kidding me?" Zoro shouted, "A dragon?! I thought you said he could make these puppet things out of something real!"

"How the hell am I supposed to know?" Nami shouted back, trying to inch behind him. "Do something!"

Zoro shot her an incredulous look over his shoulder. "Do what? Get eaten? What am I supposed to do?"

The thing in front of them snorted, inching closer and then suddenly stopping. A shadowy shimmer appeared from behind it, walking right through the creature to stand before it, reaching up and seeming to caress the things head, as if it were a dog.

"Very good, you've caught them." Liloquois grinned, waving his hand. The creature vanished as if it had never existed at all and they heard footsteps from behind and weapons being cocked.

They were surrounded.

Liloquois approached them, the grin still on his face as if he were amused by the whole situation, his eyes gleaming as he turned his gaze to Zoro.

"That was an interesting trick you pulled back there, Pirate Hunter. You are dangerous, even chained. Doctor Dizzle is right, like a wild animal."

"Unchain me and let me show you how dangerous I really am. Fair fight, winner takes all." Zoro suggested with a smirk, not letting the man in front of him intimidate him for a second, powers or not.

Liloquois laughed, "You would like that wouldn't you? You can't honestly believe I'm that stupid." He shook his head and gave Zoro a thoughtful look. "Now what I can't understand is what it is that set you off in the first place...first in the prison, the courtroom and just before. Is it really that you don't like being a captive and wish to escape or is it something more?" He wondered allowed.

"Guess you really are that stupid." Zoro scoffed.

Liloquois shook his head, "No no, Pirate Hunter. I think that this manipulative little bitch here has her claws in you. That has to be it!" He said, seeming pleased with himself. "I bet she's fucking you in turn for your protection. That it? A favor for a favor?"

Zoro's jaw clenched but before he could move he saw a blur beside him as Nami shot forward, managing to body check the man and knock him over before she was pulled back by the armed guards. He felt himself being restrained and hauled back as well.

"I fucking said I was sorry!" Nami shouted, tears of anger streaming down her face, her voice hoarse with emotion. "What the hell do you want from me! And leave him out of your sick games will you?! He's got nothing to do with this! You should have never captured him in the first place!" She raged.

Doctor Dizzle moved toward Nami, something in hand, grabbing a hold of her. "I think it's time for you to take a nap my dear. We wouldn't want you to tear your stitches now..." He said, injecting something in her arm.

Nami struggled wildly before starting to go slack. "NO!" She shouted, her voice fading as the sedative started to kick in. "No drugs! Just leave me alone..." Her voice broke off and her head lolled to the side, eyes drowsy.

Zoro struggled against the guards as Dizzle approached him as well. "As for you, we can never be too careful..."

Zoro felt the prick of the needle and glared hatefully at the Doctor before turning his gaze to the blond man, who was picking himself off the ground. He seemed livid and disheviled and Zoro noted that the man's lip was bleeding and couldn't help but smirk. The guy really was a pansy underneath all the power games and his devil fruit powers.

He felt himself growing drowsy as well as he heard Liloquois order the men to throw them both into the isolation cell.

"Together sir? With all due respect..." One of the guards muttered. Liloquois turned on him, enraged.

"DO NOT QUESTION ME!" He shouted, turning on his heal and stomping off toward one of the buildings.

Isolation huh? That doesn't sound good. Zoro thought to himself as he felt consciousness starting to fade. They'd given him a higher dose this time and he couldn't fight it. He glanced one last time to Nami as the light faded, the last light they would probably see for a long time.


	18. Dark

Theme: #4 Dark

Rated: M

Words: 1082

Chapter 18

She started to come to, feeling as if she'd been hit by a truck. Every muscle in her body ached, and her head was throbbing. She felt completely disoriented, groggy, hungover.

She didn't want to open her eyes, knowing even the barest glint of light would be like a pick axe to the brain but she needed to figure out where she was.

Her arms were heavy, like they were made of lead and she couldn't move her left arm at all, for even the slightest movement sent spikes of pain through her shoulder. She moved her right hand to her face, rubbing her eyes. Her eyes felt gritty, full of sand as she rubbed them, trying to blink them open.

Nothing, pitch black. She couldn't see a thing.

Panic welled through her. Was she blind? No...she was seeing but in shades of black and grey which meant there was no light here, it was completely dark.

Nami tried to calm herself, get a clue about her surroundings, anything that would help.

It was cold, damp, the ground a mix of stone and dirt, the walls probably stone. The air smelled earthy with a hint of rot and mildew. It wasn't pleasant.

Something scuffled off to the side and she tensed, feeling a chill go through her whole body. There it was again. A scuffle and a faint squeaking noise.

She struggled not to panic, feeling chills race through her whole body, her blood turning to ice.

Rats.

Oh God. Where am I. Am I dreaming? Please let this be a dream. She thought to herself, curling into a ball.

She closed her eyes, trying to will it all away, the situation, the memories it brought up. Liloquois must have locked her in here while she was unconscious. The bastard probably knew exactly why she hated places like this and was using it to his advantage.

Hopelessness, desperation, fear. They all swirled through her at once and she buried her face to hide her sobs. She needed to let it out but that didn't mean the bastard would ever hear her cry.

There was another sound that brought her out of her daze as quick as a bolt of lightening, and she sat up straight, tense, adrenaline flooding her body in seconds.

Someone was in here, she'd heard a low groan and movement. Limbs moving against the floor, popping sounds as if someone were sitting up and their joints were protesting the movement.

Was this another one of Liloquois' sick jokes, another punishment? To throw her in with another prisoner. And what the hell had he done with Zoro?

Nami held her breath, listening, straining her eyes in the dark.

She heard a low thud and someone curse and she instantly relaxed, nearly starting to cry again with relief.

She'd recognize the colorful combination of curses anywhere.

"Zoro..." She called out in the dark.

"Nami?" Came his confused answer. "Say something else so I can find you."

Nami laughed, never having been so happy to hear the swordsman's voice in her life. "Stay where you are or I'll never find you. You trying to find your way in a dark room is just asking for trouble."

She heard his sarcastic chuckle and began following the direction where it had come from, at the same time trying to mentally get a feel for the size of the room. It seemed pretty big, judging from the echoes. Maybe with Zoro's help they could figure it out.

She moved, keeping low to the floor, hand reaching out blindly until her hand touched a warm solid wall of muscle. She felt his hand move over hers and she couldn't help but grab onto the man for dear life, squeezing him into a one armed hug.

"Don't like the dark?" Zoro asked after a minute, not protesting the contact, seemingly humoring her.

She lay her head against his shoulder, feeling the warmth of his skin and savoring it for the moment. "I don't like rats..." She muttered quietly.

"They don't bother me." Zoro said with a shrug.

"I hate them." She said simply.

They sat in silence for a moment and she felt Zoro's arm move around her shoulders as he relaxed, settling back.

"Then we'll just have to find a way out of here then." He promised.

The horizon was nearly black, the wind whipping around the deck, making it hard for Sanji to light his cigarette as he stepped out, taking a look around. He finally managed to light it and took a drag, walking across the deck toward the figurehead.

Luffy sat in his usual place, alone, his face pensive, serious. The wind blew his already wild hair back out of his face, giving the chef a good glimpse of how young their Captain really looked.

And yet there was something in his eyes that made him seem decades older another sort of storm was brewing.

"We need to get the ship ready. This looks like a bad one." Sanji said quietly.

At first there was no response from the younger man, then simply a nod. "Yeah...we gotta batten down the hatches and pull in the sails...but tell Franky to keep the engine running and not to drop the anchor yet."

Sanji took another drag of his cigarette and put a hand on Luffy's shoulder. "Robin, Usopp and Chopper and going through all we have right now and they'll find something. We're going to find them." Sanji said with determination. "But if the ship sinks, that would be quite the setback wouldn't it? We have to play it safe here..." He reminded him gently.

Luffy hesitated, looking as if he was about to argue. He then startled the chef by drawing him into a hug, nearly pushing the air out of Sanji's lungs with its suddenness and pressure.

"Luffy!" He protested, feeling the hug let up, but only enough to let him breath.

"Your right." Luffy said, finally letting him go. "Without Nami here to tell us how to steer through the storm we're like sitting ducks out there..." Luffy agreed.

Sanji smiled a bit before reaching out and ruffling Luffy's hair. "And without Marimo here to veto all your dumb ideas, you're a lost cause. We'll find them. This waiting thing is shitty but it's the only option we've got."

Luffy gave Sanji a nod and a slight smile. "You're right. Now let's get the ship ready before this storm kicks up."


	19. Dreams

Theme: # 39 Dreams

Rated: M

Words: 1390

Disclaimer: Still don't own it :(

Chapter 19

Together, they'd plotted out the layout of the room. There'd been a few stumbles, missteps and moments of frustration, sure, but Zoro's presence, just him being there had a calming effect on Nami's nerves, despite the ever present scurrying of rats.

Sure, he was hopeless when it came to directions, the dark certainly hadn't cured that in the least but she'd realized if she stayed calm and led him along, if she took the time to explain it in a different way, most of the time it worked.

It seemed she was learning a lot about her stubborn stoic crew mate, far more than she'd ever allowed herself to give thought to. Like the way his muscles moved under his skin, like liquid steel. The scent of him, earthy, spicy almost with a hint of metal or the fact that he really did have a great sense of humor and was quick on his feet as far as ideas went, or coming up with witty remarks. Just thinking about him made her curious to learn more.

She shook her head, this was dangerous territory, letting her mind wander like that, in that direction.

They'd finally taken a seat. It was impossible really to judge time in a place like this but she'd figured that the whole thing must have eaten up at least a half hour of time. Then again, it wasn't like it mattered. They had all the time in the world, at least for the next two weeks.

She frowned at the thought. Was that it? Were they going to be kept here in the dark for the next two weeks and then turned over to the World Government? What a waste.

They'd taken a seat on the cold hard floor, simply because there wasn't anything else to do. The room was large and cavernous, with no furnishing, not even a toilet.

There was a moment of silence between them before Nami sighed. "I'd give almost anything right now for a drink. My mouth's as dry as Alibasta."

Zoro gave a grunt of agreement. "They'll probably give us water. Maybe." He shifted a bit. "How's your shoulder?"

Nami wrinkled her nose, making a face, even though he couldn't see it. "Hurts like a bitch." She admitted. "My whole arm is kind of numb and tingly, can't really move it."

"Hm." She felt Zoro's hand reach her injured shoulder and tensed as he carefully probed the area. "I think you actually dislocated your shoulder when you hockey checked Pansy boy back there." She could almost hear the amusement in his voice and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah well, I was angry." She said, brushing his comment off, hoping he'd drop it.

Zoro's one hand moved to the back of her shoulder, the other to her arm and she gritted her teeth, knowing what he was going to do. It would do nothing to talk him out of it, to plead with him.

"Relax..." His voice was low and soothing, a tone she rarely heard from him and she couldn't quite suppress the tingle it sent through her. "I thought it was great, watching you knock him to the dirt. Bastard deserved it." He continued, trying to distract her as he felt her shoulder to determine how to put it back in place.

"I know..." She muttered, "Who the hell is he to throw those kind of accusations around-" She started, cut off by a white hot flare of pain that went through her should as he pushed it back in place.

"OW! Asshole." She shouted before realizing most of the pain was gone and she could move her hand again. Without thinking she lashed out punching him in the shoulder with the hand, regretting it as pain ran through her from the injury.

"Your welcome." Zoro said, amused even as Nami was close to tears.

"Damn it..." She muttered, feeling him scoot a bit closer to her. She leaned into him despite her hesitations that it probably wasn't the best idea to get too cozy here.

"He's got a screw loose. That much is obvious. And I know you're blaming yourself for the whole thing, but that doesn't make what he's doing anymore right. This isn't justice." Zoro said quietly.

"You don't know anything..." Nami whispered, leaning into him, breathing him in. It was a small comfort that kept her from breaking down completely.

"I know what it's like to regret. I know what it's like to think how one decision can change everything, to wish you could take it back." He admitted, "But I also know how to turn that around, to look to the future instead of the past. To latch on to a dream and never let it go."

"Pretty words but dreams aren't going to get us out of here." Nami said bitterly.

"What's your dream?" The question came so out of the blue that it caught Nami off guard and she lifted her head to blink at Zoro. Her eyes had adjusted to the dark and she could make out the shadow of his face close to hers but not the detail.

"What kind of question is that?" She asked.

"Answer it," Zoro shot back, as if daring her.

She considered ignoring him but curiosity was getting the better of her. What was he trying to pull here? Just a conversation, small talk? Was he trying to get to know her better or was this some sort of a trick here. After staring at him suspiciously for a moment she finally sighed.

"When I was a kid, I told Bellemere, my mom, that I was going to map the whole world. And she was so proud, I could see it in her face."

"See? And you never gave up on it, even when you worked for Arlong did you? You always convinced yourself you'd free your island and go on your way. You just never counted on Luffy making that possible."

She smiled slightly at that. "Think you know me so well don't you?"

There was a shrug from the swordsman. "I call it like I see it. Now here's the thing, if we just give up, sit here and let ourselves get turned in, we're not only letting go of our dreams here, we're letting go of everyone else's too, Luffy's, Shit cook's, Robin's, everyone's..."

Nami hesitated before nodding, never having though of it like that. "They're counting on us..." She said almost in wonder, "We can't let them down!" She almost got to her feet before being pulled back down.

"Nice to see you all fired up but we need a plan, how to get out of here and get my swords back." He pointed out.

Nami nodded, feeling embarrassed, "You're right..." She felt something move over her sandaled foot and let out a squeal, nearly landing in Zoro's lap.

"Oh my God, kill it!" She shrieked.

There was a chuckled and before too long he was laughing even as he startled the rat away. The situation was so ridiculous she couldn't help but join in. It was either that or cry. They were facing death most likely and she was freaking out like a little girl over a rat.

She let out a sigh, "You know...if Usopp were here, he'd probably say something like 'That was the last laugh we'll ever have.' "

Zoro chuckled, "Yeah well, he's the biggest pessimist ever so I'm not sure you can really take something like that seriously." He lay down on the cold floor, propping his arms under his head like a pillow and a moment later Nami joined him, trying to find the most comfortable way to lay down, where it didn't hurt her shoulder.

"What now?" She asked quietly.

"We wait, for the right moment. Get some sleep."

She tried to close her eyes but scuffling from the corner made them snap back open and she tensed.

"The rats..." She protested.

"Get some sleep." Zoro said again, in a tone that booked no argument. "Trust me, I'll keep watch."

She wanted to argue but she found that she did trust him and she laid her head down once more, letting herself drift of. The scent of Zoro, his warmth next to her let her relax and she dreamed of waves, wind and freedom.


	20. Starvation

Theme: #79 Starvation

Rating: M overall, though this chapter is probably T

Words: 1026

Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue, blah blah blah...I think we've got the gist of this right? :)

Nami lay back on the cold stone floor and sighed for what had to have been the hundredth time that hour. She wasn't sure how long they'd been here but it had been days for sure judging by water deliveries. Three, maybe four. Of course it was nearly impossible to tell without a watch or any sort of light.

By now, both of them had grown accustomed to the dark enough to where they could at least 'see'. That is if seeing meant deciphering shadows.

She lay her uninjured arm across her forehead for a moment before turning her head to the side. She could hear Zoro's rhythmic breathing, a quick inhale exhale routine that had been going on for what seemed like hours as he continued doing push-ups. She could make out his shadow, his back perfectly straight, arms under him, the way his biceps flexed everytime his nose nearly touched the floor.

Her stomach cramped once more, demanding food, feeling like it was beginning to eat itself and a loud gurgle filled the air.

"Oh my God...I'm dying..." Nami whined.

"It's all in your head." Zoro told her.

Somehow she felt like she'd had this conversation before. She scoffed, "It's not all in my head. I'm starving, withering away to nothing as we speak."

Another push up, two, three, before she heard him sarcastically respond, "Uh huh," as if he didn't believe her for a second.

She rolled on her side to look at him, propping herself up on her good arm. "I'm so hungry my stomach's cramping, don't 'uh huh' me mister."

"Mind over matter. Besides, the cramps will stop eventually. The more you think about it, the more you're going to drive yourself crazy." Zoro pointed out. He didn't miss a beat with his workout, "You've never gone a few days without food?"

Nami paused, hesitating as she always did when someone asked her a direct question like that, on the tip of her tongue to fabricate something or tell a half truth, blow the question off. Finally she shook her head. "Maybe two at the most. I was always able to find food or steal it mostly. And most of the time I got regular meals, even if the quality was less than desirable." She told him giving him a sidelong glance.

"Let me guess? Starving yourself is part of your training or something, like the crazy stunt you pulled at Drum Island when I was sick, a trial of some kind?" She asked, not expecting him to glance up at her, actually pausing for a minute before continuing.

"When Luffy found me, I was at a Marine prison, deal was they'd let me go if I made it a month without food. It'd been about three weeks, give or take." He answered it as if it was nothing, stoic as ever.

Nami nearly fell over, "Three weeks?!"

Zoro finally completed his reps and sat on the floor, wiping his brow. "Yeah. You stop feeling it after a while." He motioned toward the bucket they'd received, the water was slightly stale and had a metallic taste to it but as of yet it hadn't made either of them sick.

"It's important that we drink though, they're doing this on purpose to try to weaken us. That bucket is enough to keep us both alive but slightly dehydrated, that and no food is going to take its toll."

Nami nodded, looking at him, "That makes it all the more important that we get out of here quick huh? How is it that you keep training?"

Zoro shrugged, "Keeps my mind off of everything. That I'm hungry, that we're stuck here." He paused for a minute before glancing back to her. "I'm not superhuman you know. I do feel things just like you do, hunger, pain..." He admitted quietly.

Nami let it sink in, it was like he'd just admitted a secret to her and she knew better than to make light of Zoro even acknowledging that he had weaknesses.

Needing to lighten the mood before she went and spilled her guts to him too, she smiled, "You know what I could go for right now? A giant ham and cheese sandwich..." She sighed wistfully. "I'm so hungry I'd even eat that tofu crap that you seem to like." She muttered making a face.

"You're crazy. That stuff is good and it's healthy for you too. A little rice and soy sauce and it's perfect." Zoro chuckled as Nami pretended to gag.

"Ok...maybe not THAT desperate. How 'bout Sanji's Torte au chocolat? I would KILL for a piece right now..."

"Anything shit cook would make right now would be fine." Zoro stated and Nami pretended to be shocked, earning a dirty look from the swordsman.

"Did I hear you right? Can I get that in writing so I can show him? I thought you didn't like his cooking, or that it's just 'ok'." Nami teased.

Zoro rolled his eyes, "You know I just say that to get him pissed off right? Easiest way to make him blow a gasket is to insult his cooking. You know that right?" He asked as if he was clarifying something to a child.

Nami pouted, "I'm not a total idiot you know." She looked at him sceptically, "Why is it that you two fight all the time?"

Zoro shook his head getting to his feet and moving toward her, pulling her to hers.

"That's enough, time to get to work." He was avoiding the question and Nami tried to shove him away with her good arm.

"Work? Say what now? You are going to answer, you know..." She grumbled.

He ignored her, moving around her as if trying to figure something out, "We need to get your shoulder back to where it needs to be."

It was like talking to a brick wall and Nami decided to give up for the time being, but only because he made a good point.

She'd get the last word in, she always did.


	21. Waiting

Theme: #55 Waiting

Rated: M

Words: 1033

Disclaimer: Last chapter was probably the laziest disclaimer I've ever written, so here I'll do it write. *Ahem* I do not own One Piece. It's owned by the great Oda-sama, Shonen Jump and a few other companies which I'm forgetting. I am not making any profit from it, please don't sue. :)

Chapter 21

Zoro was restless. The crazy bastard of a doctor had called him an animal and Zoro couldn't help but start to believe him.

He was going crazy being cooped up in the light-less cell. There was only so much exercising he could do with the limit water rations they were getting and no food since days.

Still, he'd more than overdone it, spending most of his time awake going through katas and doing strength exercises, meditating even. Anything to keep his mind off of the hunger, thirst and the pain.

He'd never admit it to anyone, not even Chopper how much pain he'd been in since Thriller Bark. He'd had his fair share of injuries in his young life, even serious life threatening ones, but none like he'd experienced in that place.

Bones had set and healed, bruises, wounds, but the pain remained, reminding him every day that he needed to get stronger.

And here he was, locked in a cage with no way out. It was bitter. With every increase of strength, with every bit of strength he gained, with every victory came something like this.

It was almost too easy to lose hope, and that was why they were here, in this black pit. To break them.

Instead he focused on his exercises, on helping Nami overcome her injury and he'd probably talked more the last few days than he had in six months.

Nami was a chatterbox. She enjoyed talking. She needed it to help her through the situation, that continuous feedback and companionship that she'd grown so accustomed to. And despite it all, he found he was enjoying it. Bonding with Nami that was, not the situation.

There was something about the feisty navigator that he just couldn't figure out, a lot of things actually and the more questions that were answered, the more he found he had. He'd met a lot of people in his life, learned to read them, figure out everything he needed to know by a glance or two. What was it about her that was different, that made her so unique.

It'd all really started when he first met her. The crazy girl had handed Luffy over to Buggy the clown on a silver platter, all for her own personal gain, and then she'd gone above and beyond to save him, without knowing him by putting a cannon fuse out with her bare hands.

She still had the scars, though they'd faded. He could feel them as he adjusted her hands, teaching her some basics of hand to hand combat.

He'd already taught her exercises to strengthen her shoulder, to get full range of motion without damaging the healing wound and to minimize the pain. She'd caught on quickly and he never expected anything less from the stubborn girl.

To pass the time he'd suggested teaching her meditation, combat techniques, anything to keep their minds off of the situation. Mostly it was to keep her motivated. Nami was anything but a bird you could keep in a cage. She craved freedom and if she were left to her own devices here, she'd wither and die.

"Left hand, up!" He called, "Block!" He moved quickly, demonstrating how she'd left her injured side wide open.

"It hurts, jackass!" Nami shouted at him, frustrated.

"I know, but in a real fight you can't show the enemy your weakness or they'll exploit it, take you apart."

"Hmpf. Whatever." Nami muttered, backing away. "I need a break..." She started to move away from him, toward where the bucket of water was, off to one side of the room.

He grabbed her arm, pulling her back. "You get a break when you've earned it." He said pointedly.

Something seemed to snap, even in the dim lighting he could practically see the fire crackle in her eyes. She poked him hard directly on his sternum, the force making him take a step back.

"NO ONE tells me what I do and don't deserve. You want to play the macho game, you go right ahead and see how far you can push me..." She said in a low tone, full of thinly veiled warning.

Zoro noted her tension and backed away, giving her a slight nod. "Break's a good idea." The both took a seat next to the bucket and alternated drinking, making sure they held back so they'd have enough to last the day.

Nami seemed to have cooled off and had gone quiet, which meant she was thinking or was uncomfortable, feeling guilty.

"When I went through my training, at the dojo, we never got anything for nothing. We worked for everything." He started, glancing away from her, to not put her on the spot. He could see from the side that she'd turned her head to listen. "Breaks, meals, free time. Everything was earned, it has nothing to do with being macho."

"Sorry," She muttered quietly, almost dismissively, trying to get him to drop the topic. He had half a mind to try and push it further but instead he changed the topic.

"I think we should start figuring out how to get out of here..." He said in a low tone. "Water comes once a day, two guys, both armed bring it and they come from the right which means there's a corridor leading somewhere."

"Left." Nami mumbled.

"Huh?"

"They come from the left." She informed him. Even though he'd motioned in the correct direction he'd still said it wrong.

Zoro's eyebrow twitched in annoyance but he bit it down, "Right. So-"

"Left!" She snapped at him.

"I meant, never fucking mind. I think our best chance is to make a try when they bring water the next time, I mean, who knows how long this is going to go on for. This waiting game is getting ridiculous."

Nami opened her mouth to reply as everything flashed to white in a second, blinding them both. There were sounds, metal slamming, doors, boots, weapons.

In a dizzying few seconds, there newly hatched plan was stopped before it was even thought out.

"You know..." An all too familiar voice said, "And to think we were gonna go easy on you."


	22. Stripes

Theme: #49 Stripes

Rating: This chapter is definitely M. Please take warning, contains strong language, violence and references to rape, vague but there. If this is something you aren't comfortable reading, please skip the chapter.

Words: 2739

Chapter 22

With them temporarily blinded by the lights, it was fairly easy for the guards to chain them once again, the same chains as last time, heavy iron shackles.

Zoro's eyes began to adjust ever so slowly and he could make out the demented doctor's rotund form as he tried to blink the spots out of his vision.

"Take it easy on us?" Zoro demanded, "No food, little water, not even a toilet." He moved his arms trying to test the chains only to have the guard behind him tighten his grip.

Dizzle laughed at that. "No one ever promised you 5 star accomodations," He grinned, "Besides, you have everything you need to live through the next week or so. The human body can go weeks without food as long as water is available. Course an animal like you wouldn't understand that, caught up with your base needs as you are."

Zoro gritted his teeth. Arguing with this guy was impossible.

He watched as Dizzle approached Nami, who glared hatefully. The guards tightened her chains as she began to struggle. The doctor reached out and touched Nami's cheek, almost as if he were caressing it.

"Now for you my dear, I'm afraid you made the Captain far angrier than he was trying to plan an escape. You know you'll have to face additional punishment for that right?"

"Fuck you." Nami spat.

Dizzle laughed, "Such spirit. It's a shame really that it's wasted on you. We'll see how feisty you are after lashes." He watched Nami's unimpressed face and grinned even wider. "I assure you a cat o' nine tails is nothing to scoff off young lady. Considering Briggs here has been known to cut to the bone in a single lash." He motioned to a giant of a man who grinned idiotically. Sure enough there was a cat o' nine tails in his hands.

Zoro struggled against the chains, his mind racing. Nami was doing good, finally recovering from her gunshot wound and if she was injured again, he was concerned she might not recover, not with the limited resources at their disposal.

"Nami had nothing to do with planning the escape. It was me who brought it up." Zoro stated clearly, watching Dizzle turn toward him.

It was the truth, he'd barely brought it up when they'd busted through the door. Nami had never had time to contribute to the plan

"Oh? Are we trying to play the hero here?" Dizzle asked him.

Zoro shook his head, looking the foul little man in the eyes. "I'm not a hero. You were listening before you busted in. You heard that she had nothing to do with it and if lashes are the punishment for an escape attempt, then so be it. I'll take them."

Dizzle was delighted and nodded to the guards. "Just remember Pirate Hunter, you asked for it."

He motioned first to the guards that were holding Nami to lead her out and Zoro started to protest. "I thought you said I would take the lashes! Where are you taking her?"

Dizzle laughed, "Oh she has enough things on her record to be punished for. The Captain doesn't have to be as careful with her you know."

"Bullshit, you heard that we were suposed to both be turned over unscathed." Zoro shot back as he was pulled in the other direction of the corridor. The last glimpse of Nami that he'd caught, she'd looked almost accepting of the situation. calm. He only hoped that she'd fight. He had no idea what they would do to her.

"Oh was that what they said?" Dizzle said, feigning innocence. "Well, by my count you have 9 days to heal up. The conditions will be met."

Zoro felt a chill go down his spine. The crazy little doctor was right. Nine days was a long time.

11111

Nami felt numb as she was led through a maze of corridors. She did her best to map the route in her mind but she wasn't sure it would do her much good. Even if she somehow managed to get free, she'd have to find Zoro and she didn't have a clue where they'd taken him.

Zoro...he'd stepped in and taken lashes for her. She squeezed her eyes shut. Fuck! How would she ever repay him for that? Why had he gone and done something so stupid?!

A door was opened, a heavy wooden door that creaked, revealing what looked to be a sitting room of some kind. It was comfortably furnished, elaborate really and she recognized the style immediately. It looked a lot like the rooms in Liloquois' old manor back in East Blue. The house she'd burned down.

Emotion welled up in her again as she was shoved forward to the center of the room, the chains weighing her down.

From an adjoining room, she saw Liloquois approaching, glass of wine in hand, casual and at ease as if he were expecting dinner guests. He turned his head back to the adjoining room and called, "I'll be with you all momentarily, I have business to attend to." With that he shut the room behind him and motioned for the guards to back away from Nami. "Keep watch outside the door, if I need something I'll call." He told them.

They were finally alone and Liloquois circled her like a shark in the water.

Nami felt her skin crawling at the scrutiny and she tried to catch his eye. "James..." She said quietly, "Why are you doing this?"

Angry eyes snapped to meet hers and a slap turned her face away from his. "Do NOT call me that. You no longer have that privilege bitch." He turned her head back, almost caressing her cheek as he did so, as if he hadn't just slapped her. "You've really turned into a beautiful woman Nami." He gave her a once over, "I should have known that you were much younger than you pretended to be, but somehow I was blind to all your lies."

Nami tried time and again to make eye contact with him, to make him understand, to reason with him but she couldn't. It was like he was too far gone in his madness. She'd done this, this was her handy work. Regret left a bitter taste in her mouth.

"James..." She said again, seeing rage burn in his eyes. She expected another slap and he was all to happy to oblidge, knocking her off balence. She landed, half seated on one of the plush couches. This time she tasted blood. "What do you want from me?" She asked again.

He was on her, pinning her down, despite her struggles. She tried to kick but he'd made sure she couldn't as he leaned in close, his face against hers. His eyes bored into her's, fever bright.

"Death is too easy, you'd just accept that wouldn't you?" He asked as she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to figure out a way to get loose. He grabbed her face hard, forcing her to look at him. "I'm going to destroy you, to make you suffer like you made me suffer. Your crew will never find you, I've sent them on a wild goose chase. Your crew mate, or is he your fuck buddy? The two of you must be fairly cozy by now..." He laughed as Nami struggled again.

"If he meets an unfortunate accident before I turn him over to the marines, then you will be all alone, you'll have no one. I'm going to break you Nami, body, spirit and soul." He vowed, his hands moving her arms from behind her back to pin them over her head. She felt a jolt of pain from her shoulder but the chains weighed her arms down. She couldn't get loose.

"And when I'm done with you, the party isn't over yet," Liloquois grinned, motioning over his shoulder. She could hear raucious voices from the other room, laughing and talking.

"No better way to seal a business arangement."

Nami's eyes slid shut as she tried to ignore what was going to happen, he wanted to break her he'd said. She remembered Zoro's words and focused on them, hearing his low smooth voice in her head over and over like a mantra. He'd promised her to find a way out.

He'd promised...

1111

They'd put him back in the same room that he and Nami had spent the last few days in, chained him upright so he was forced to stay on his feet or hang by his arms. Either way hurt like hell.

His back felt like it was on fire with every breath and he knew it must have been bad because he kept drifting in and out of conciousness.

Ten lashes is what he'd gotten, each one of them ripping through him like a bolt of lightening. He had to smile in the darkness though at one small victory. He hadn't let out a sound, not even a grunt of pain. It'd taken all he had not to, but he wouldn't give those sadistic bastards the pleasure of it. In the end they'd been livid, dragging him back to the cell with no treatment and they'd chained him up like, well, an animal.

The lights were on in the corridor, so he wasn't in complete darkness. He lifted his head warily at the sound of boots and chains. There was a pause outside the door as it was opened, chains rattling, a slight scuffle and he saw Nami thrown into the cell. She fell forward, catching herself on both arms, a cry of pain leaving her lips.

She turned quickly, grabbing the bars as if trying to rattle them. "You bastards!" She screamed after the retreating footsteps. She leaned on the bars, as if all her strength had left her and he heard her choking back sobs.

She finally stood, wiping her face and turned, seeing Zoro for the first time and nearly startling, her eyes growing wide as she rushed toward him.

"Oh my god, what have they done to you?" She asked in a hushed tone as she looked him over. He flinched as her hand moved over him.

"I'm alright. Just pissed off about the chains..." He muttered, trying to calm her as he got a good look at her. Her face was bruised, lip bleeding and she had bruises on her neck, arms and legs. What had been left of her shirt lay in tatters around her and her skirt wasn't in much better shape.

"I'm going to get you down from there." She promised. He was about to protest. The chains were unbreakable and the last thing they needed was to make more noise and call the guards attention to them, but then he saw her pull a hair pin from her hair. She leaned up, starting to work the lock, her face just above his as she leaned close. She bit her lip in the way she always did when she was concentrating on something, and he leaned his head against her, reassuring himself she was real.

Nami tensed for a moment, spared him a glance and then relaxed, going back to trying to pick the lock.

She was far too tense, something had happened to her, he could see it in the way she moved, the look in her eyes. A look at the bruises on her body told him the story and he felt sick to his stomach.

"What happened?" He asked softly, looking at her. "Don't lock up, you need to talk..."

She made a face, continuing to work the lock. "We had a tea party. What the fuck do you think happened Zoro?" She asked with barely contained anger. She glanced at him before looking away. "Trust me, you're better off not knowing."

"I'm not asking for details here, I just need to know if you're hurt or if you're going to have a breakdown here..." He muttered, hearing the lock finally click.

She gave him a sardonic smile, "I'm fine." She assured him in a voice that he knew meant she was far from it. "I always am..." She added quietly, unclasping the chains from around his arms.

Zoro started to fall, his muscles going slack and Nami managed to lever a shoulder under him and slow his decent, helping him to the floor.

He lay on his stomach breathing hard, mostly because he hadn't been able to draw a deep breath in what felt like forever.

"Much better..." He muttered, the coolness of the stone feeling soothing against his aching body. He heard nothing from Nami and glanced up to see her take a seat in front of him, eyes trained to his back. She seemed to be blinking back tears.

"This whole thing's my fault." She choked out.

His hand moved out to take hers and he struggled into a sitting position. "I swear..." He muttered, trying to find a comfortable position, "We had this conversation already..."

Tears began to stream down her face and she angrilly wiped at them, not looking at him, ashamed that he was seeing her cry.

"Maybe I deserve this all, I mean I ruined his life, I drove him to this but you..." She wiped her eyes but the tears wouldn't stop, "You don't deserve this, they...they hurt you just because of me." She glared at him, reaching out to smack him upside the head. Thankfully there was no force behind it.

"Why did you have to go and do something so stupid and tell them to give you the lashes?!" She shouted, "Do you even know what your back looks like?"

Zoro felt the urge to roll his eyes, but he was glad she was letting out the emotion rather than shutting down, even if it was all directed his way. "I can guess..."

"You can guess," She mocked, "You are such an idiot sometimes!"

"Look, I thought that it would get you out of being hurt alright? You're still injured, I'm not!" He shot back.

Nami glared at him, "The hell you aren't. I know how bad you were hurt at Thriller Bark. Maybe you can fool the others but I see the way you move in the morning before you start exercising..."

Zoro did roll his eyes that time and met her glare. "I didn't realize they were still going to take you somewhere..." He muttered, unable to find the words.

Nami's brow rose, "Take me somewhere and have their way with me? Are you kidding? I'm a woman Zoro and in case you haven't noticed I'm not half bad looking. What the hell did you think they would do with me, have a conversation?! Face reality, the world we live in is vile and all men are the same." She spat.

Zoro looked away, regretting throwing the words in her face, feeling like an asshole. "Not all men are the same." He finally mumbled.

Her angry gaze softened a fraction as she looked at him, reaching up to wipe her eyes. She swallowed hard and shook her head, "Yeah, maybe not all." She said in a whisper.

She removed the scraps of her shirt and used her ration of water, despite his protests to clean his wounds on his back, feeling sick as she cleaned the stripes that were torn into his skin. Thankfully none of them were anymore than skin deep and they would heal quickly. She had a suspicion the chains they'd hung him up by had done more damage.

When she was done she lay down on the stone floor next to him and to her amazement and relief she realized he'd fallen asleep at some point.

She lay watching him, trying to find a comfortable way to lay. Her body ached from the inside out. Like his wounds, they would heal quickly, though she had a feeling that some wounds would take far longer.

Reaching out, she touched his cheek, wondering how such a powerful man could look so gentle when he slept. She felt tears well in her eyes again, realizing that whatever she was going through, she wasn't in it alone. Somehow she'd found someone who cared without ever realizing it.

She wanted to break down, to give up, and yet she owed him everything. And she'd be damned if she didn't pay him back.


	23. Heal

AN: There is a bit of Franky/Robin in here. I was going to put this scene later on, but somehow it just worked right here. I want to throw a shout out to Trynia Merin, for motivating this scene with her awesome story. Chatting with her has made me realize that they are a couple that may as well be considered canon. :) So thanks hon for chatting OP with me so often :D

Theme: #23 Heal

Rated: M, for language and a dash of lime.

Words: 1755

Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece :(

Chapter 23

The first inklings of conciousness drew her from a deep sleep. Even before she opened her eyes she went through her decades old routine quickly. It had served her well.

Waves, the gentle creaking of wood, light snores and even softer breathing. Bare feet were approaching, lightly stepping, almost exaggerated in their gait, like a child sneaking across the house, trying not to wake their parents.

Her eyes opened and hands bloomed from the 'intruder' who thought it smart to sneak toward her in the dim light, revealing Franky, looking sheepish though unafraid as he stood still.

She sighed, letting him go, flower peddles falling around him before too disappearing.

"Sorry." He said in a whisper, approaching with a mug in hand. "Thought you could use this and didn't want to wake ya."

The smell of freshly brewed coffee brought a smile to her face as Robin took the mug from him, savoring the warmth and rich scent.

"I'm sorry, you just startled me. I must have fallen asleep." She said in a quiet tone, sipping the coffee.

Franky shrugged, as if nothing had happened and took a seat next to her on the couch. "Happens to the best of us, old habits die hard and all that." His large frame settled back on the comfortable leather sofa and he stretched his arms out on either side of him, resting them along the back of it.

They sat in comfortable silence, Franky glancing around the ships library. There were dozens of books on the coffee table and on one of the desks as well as notepads and stacks of paper. Usopp was fast asleep on another one of the couches, face half buried in a decorative pillow, knees drawn up under him so that his rear stuck up in the air. It looked uncomfortable but anyone who knew Usopp knew that was normal. Chopper was curled up in one of the chairs, looking more like a small ball of fluff than their crew mate at the moment.

Robin looked at him fondly for a moment, listening to the soft exhales and sighs as he slept. It was peaceful somehow, soothing.

Franky nodded toward the mountain of paper on the table. "Any progress?"

"Some." Robin admitted, "We've deciphered as much of the notes as we'll be able to. Chopper and Usopp should have some results on the rest of the tests they ran but I don't have the heart to wake them."

"It's pretty late, everyone's already asleep anyway." Franky assured her. "Ship's checked, mast to hull. She stood up to the storm like a champ." Robin could hear the pride in his voice as he detailed what he'd spent the evening doing.

They'd spent the last days in a massive storm system, doing their best to keep the ship in working order. As they were down a navigator, they'd decided their best bet was to stay in place for the time being.

"Luffy finally is getting some rest?" Robin asked.

Franky shrugged again, "For now yeah. Seemed like Sanji spent most of the evening keeping him from jumping the railing..."

Robin glanced at Franky, trying to decipher the man's sometimes quirky humor and get to the heart of what he was saying.

"Figuratively or literally?"

Franky chuckled, "A little of both. Since the storm died down, Strawhat's got ants in his pants. Every rock in the distance could be an island and we should go search it, that sort of thing. He's got probably the worst case of separation anxiety I've ever seen."

Robin gave a thoughtful nod, "The whole balance to the crew is off kilter, and he knows it." She reached for a roll of paper. "Rocks you said?"

As she unrolled the chart, Franky nodded, leaning in to look at it. "I think we're here. There's a string of islands, most of them seem to not be on any charts though. Maybe cause they're just hunks of rocks sticking out of the ocean."

Robin looked over the chart thoughtfully. "Perhaps. Or maybe this area isn't fully explored."

"Either way, we need a plan come tomorrow."

"Yes." Robin agreed, rolling the map carefully and placing it to the side. She picked her coffee mug up and sipped it. "We should get some rest first." She leaned back on the couch, her head resting on his arm and to his surprise she moved closer.

She sighed, feeling his warmth next to her. It was a nice comforting feeling, foreign somehow but nice all the same. He started to move his arm, as if he was unsure he should keep it there. She smiled at that. Despite the many times he'd been called a pervert, she'd never gotten that impression of him. He was polite, sometimes overly so when it came to her and she glanced up to see the light blush covering his cheeks as she leaned into his shoulder.

"Stay here until I fall asleep?" She asked, catching him off guard.

"Uh, you don't want to go back to your room? I mean I can walk you there..."

"I'm comfortable here. Besides, the room feels empty without Nami." She said quietly.

Franky seemed to finally realize that she wanted him there, that it was her own way of seeking comfort in the whole situation.

His arm moved around her as he settled back and he felt her head against his shoulder. Her eyes were growing heavier and heavier and at one point he had to take the coffee cup from her hand so she didn't drop it.

She'd been pushing herself for days and it was starting to show. It wasn't long before she was completely relaxed against him. He watched her sleep awed. She was so strong and she worked so hard to keep everyone at arms length, yet here she was. She trusted him enough to relax. It almost felt as if he was dreaming.

If it was a dream, he was going to stick around a little longer to enjoy it. He breathed in the scent of her hair and closed his eyes. Even if it was just for a little while.

111111

A couple days had passed, Nami had gotten better at judging the time almost as if she was sensing it somehow despite the lack of daylight and a watch. Maybe she was just getting used to the situation. Hadn't Robin once said something like that to her? Something along the lines that the human brain took 3 days or so to adapt to any sort of situation? She wasn't sure but it seemed about right.

Things were alright for the time being, water deliveries had continued and though they hadn't eaten in what seemed like ages, she found herself no longer feeling hungry. It was probably better she had nothing in her stomach after some of the nightmares she had.

She glanced up, seeing movement and sighed. It would do no good to tell him to rest. She'd been right, his back was healing quickly and though he'd seemed out of it the first few hours, he was back to normal it seemed, going through katas as if it were nothing.

It was mesmerizing to watch though, she had to admit. She was pleased they had more lighting because she could see far more detail this way.

She knew he knew she was watching but she'd stopped caring. It wasn't like it was anything new. She often watched him workout on deck as she sunbathed.

He was a beautiful man, sculpted, graceful. Each movement perfectly orchestrated, precise, deadly. Even without his swords he was dangerous. It showed in each of his movements, every motion of every muscle.

He glanced to her, "You just going to sit there all day?" He asked.

She glanced to her fingernails, pretending she'd been looking there all along. "I was considering it. I already did my exercises."

"Right." Zoro said sceptically, rolling his eyes as she pouted at him. "Come here. I'll teach you a kata."

"Oh please. How's that going to help me?" Nami muttered. Still she got to her feet, intrigued. He obviously needed a way of alleviating boredom and she guessed this was a good an outlet as any. She doubted she could ever match his graceful movements, but something drew her to him like a moth to a flame.

He began with basics, footing, how she needed to move, adjusting her limbs here and there with light touches of his hands.

She heard his voice, low and quiet but somehow she found it hard to concentrate on the words. She wasn't sure what it was but she found herself more and more drawn to him, needing each touch, needing the reassurance that he was really there.

At some point he must have realized she wasn't paying attention and she looked up to see him looking at her in concern.

"Are you alright? Pain?" He asked.

He was so close and she moved before she could give it another thought, her arms encircling his neck, hands brushing over smooth solid muscle. He was like a drug she needed and nothing was going to stop her. She needed distraction, she needed comfort, someone who knew her, who could heal her.

He seemed to tense under her touch and she made sure to avoid touching his back even as her hands roamed over the planes of his body, her face at his neck, breathing him in. "I want you..." Her voice was breathy in his ear as she toyed with his earrings, nipping them.

"Nami? Nami, stop..." His hands moved over hers, trying to still them and she pulled them away, placing them on either side of his face and drawing him in for a kiss, drinking him in.

He seemed to give in and for a few dizzying seconds she was free, caught up in him completely, her senses marvelling at his taste, his touch.

She pressed against him, needing contact, needing to feel his warmth, her hands growing bolder and bolder as they moved down his body.

Reality snapped back as she felt him move away, push her back. He was gentle but it still felt like a bucket of ice to the face.

He rubbed a hand over his face, taking a few calming breaths, gaining his composure.

She saw the confusion of emotions there in his dark eyes, desire, concern, something else.

His voice was stern, controlled and she felt her heart sink.

"We need to talk."


	24. Rejection

AN: Two days no update? GASP! Sorry guys...The new English dub Thriller Bark episodes stole me away. Promise I'll do better. :)

Theme: Rejection

Rated: M

Words: 781

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own One Piece, not me, I'm just borrowing the characters. The nasty villians in here though? They sadly belong to me -.-

Chapter 24

He closed his eyes to focus, focus any anything but the fire burning through his body that her touch had evoked.

Eyes closed, Zoro took a few calming breaths before focussing on the navigator in front of him.

She sat as far as she could from him, against the wall with her knees drawn up, arms wrapped tightly around them. He couldn't see her face as her hair shadowed it, couldn't get a reading on what she was feeling but judging by her body language it was guilt.

"Nami, look..." He started. Why was this so hard for him to find the words.

"You don't have to say anything. I get it." She said quietly, voice muffled, but he could hear the emotionlessness in it, the coldness loud and clear.

"That's just it though...you wont even look at me." He said softly. If he could just get a look at her face, just one he might know what he was dealing with. Had this been her way of just seeking comfort, trying to heal herself from all the suffering that she'd gone through or was there more to it? Was she feeling guilty, upset, rejected?

He was losing his patience and fast. He wasn't good at this sort of touchy-feely, get in touch with yourself stuff.

He heard a snort from her direction and she raised her head and looked away, staring off into the distance. "Why should I? What's it going to change?"

He scanned her face, seeing the haunted look in her eyes, pain, guilt, unshed tears. She was suffering and there wasn't anything he could do to make it go away until he dealt with his own feelings.

He'd wanted her, it had hit him all at once at her touch, he'd almost given in. He'd almost lost himself, even after all the training he'd put in to controlling his emotions, his actions, his body, she'd made him nearly come undone. That had to mean something right, or was he just imaging things because of the situation they were in. Would it have been any different if he were here with another woman, a stranger?

This isn't just any woman, this is Nami.

His mind realized the answer before he even thought it through and that scared him more than he wanted to give thought to.

"This isn't the right time." Zoro finally answered and he was graced with her attention, her eyes looking to him almost distrustfully, trying to read him.

She swallowed and he could hear the bit back emotion in her voice. She kept it steady though. "Would there ever be a right time?"

"When we aren't stuck in this hell hole, under watch? When we aren't under threat of torture and death?" He asked pointedly.

Her eyes seemed a little less haunted as she let his answer sink in and she simply nodded, glancing away.

Her voice was so quiet he could barely hear it. "I just thought you...I guess I misread you. I just wanted for once to enjoy being with someone..." She squeezed her eyes shut and swallowed hard.

Zoro felt as if he'd been punched in the gut at her words and he sat down near her, giving her space. He felt exhausted, mentally and physically.

"I'm not sure you misread anything Nami. It's just not the right time. We need to focus on other things right now..."

She looked toward him, nodding. His words seemed to give her the strength she needed to pull herself out of her funk.

Her eyes seemed to light up as if she'd remembered something and he glanced away as she reached in her bikini top until he heard something small and metal hit the stone.

"I almost forgot...that hair pin? That wasn't the only thing I managed to grab." There it was, that fire that was usually in her eyes, it wasn't as bright as it usually was, but it was there all the same. Somehow that gave him more hope than anything else at the moment and he couldn't help the grin of amazement that spread across his face as he glanced down to see what she had. Despite the worst of circumstances, she'd still done what she did best, she'd still hung on to that hope when others would have given up.

In addition to the hairpin on the ground there were three small items, a bit of wire, a small jeweler's screw driver and a zippo lighter.

Zoro picked up the lighter.

"You have an idea?" She asked, seeing the gleam in his eyes.

The corner of his mouth quirked, "All depends on how fast you can get that door open."


	25. Through the Fire

AN: Ohhh, We're halfway there, woah oh, livin on a prayer...AHEM...what I meant to say, without breaking into song was this is officially the halfway point of the this story :D Thank you guys for sticking with it so far and stay tuned, it ain't over yet!

Theme: Through The Fire

Rating: M

Words: 1618

Disclaimer: Not me, nope, don't own it. Just this ol' computer and my rockin' coffee cup. ;.;

Chapter 25

Zoro could feel the adrenaline in his veins, roaring through him, telling him it was time to put this hellish experience behind them.

Nami, true to her promise was working on the lock, had been for some time. Of course they were both concerned that they were being watched, that like last time, there attempt would be all for nothing. Yet something felt different this time.

"Almost there...come on you stupid son of a..." Nami muttered, working with the wire. Zoro heard a click. "Got it! Gimme a sec..." He saw her slip the screw driver up into the lock, tilting her head. "Electronics...crap...Why didn't I listen to Usopp when he tried to teach me this shit..."

"Hurry..." Zoro urged, wanting to get moving as quickly as possible.

"Red or green?" She asked

"What?" He looked at her as if she'd grown another head.

"Pick one!" She snapped

"Red..."

"Green it is, here goes nothing!" She moved her hand quickly cutting the wire with the screw driver.

"Oi!" Zoro protested.

"Shut up, it worked." Nami said, jumping to her feet and opening the door. "Now what's your plan?"

Zoro couldn't believe it. She'd gotten the door open and as of yet, no one had come after them. They had to move quickly though. Their luck wouldn't last forever.

"Grab handfuls of that straw stuff on the floor will you and put it under the support beams..." Zoro said, moving to do the same. They didn't have much time.

"Are you nuts? You're going to light a fire?" She asked, none the less doing as he said.

"We need a diversion, something to keep them busy and if we're quick they'll never know we're missing..." Zoro stated as he started lighting. Some of the straw was damp and it took a bit of patience but before too long he'd managed to light them. There was a good deal of smoke accumulating in the corridor.

Nami's eyes began to burn and felt her throat becoming irritated.

"Where does that corridor lead to?" She asked him, pointing the way he'd been taken just days before.

"Up some stairs to a courtyard. I think..."

Nami suppressed a sigh, "I think they both lead to opposite ends of the same courtyard. Let's just go..." She reached out to shove him in front of her. There were less chances they'd get separated that way, she hoped.

Walls, stairs, doors, some needing a bit more force than others. Everything became a blur as they focussed on keeping their feet moving.

At last they were outside, the night air refreshing. They had little time to savor it. They had to move, taking only a short breather behind a wall between the buildings. Nami took a chance, peeking over when she heard commotion, her heart feeling like it would come out of her chest with each beat. Fear, adrenaline and a certain amount of thrill raced through her. She saw smoke rising in the air and people running toward it.

She grinned, momentarily giddy. "I can't believe that worked!" She whispered.

Zoro gave her a grin and motioned for them to move again. The buildings were a blur, a maze of stone.

"I need to find my swords." Zoro said and Nami shot him an incredulous look.

"We have no idea where they are! Forget it, I'll buy you new ones..." She saw Zoro's eyes grow dark, stormy.

"You don't understand. I need them. I can't leave them behind." His tone was insistent, booking no argument and she realized there was something far deeper there than just his pride. She'd ask another time, right now they needed to find them and leave.

"We're so going to get caught..." She said, exasperated, but never the less turning toward one of the buildings. "This building is where we were dragged through before the trial..."

The stormed the building, anticipating a fight with every step and finding no resistance. It was oddly empty, eeary in a way.

"Do you think they took my clima tact?" Nami asked as Zoro kicked in another door, scanning the room.

Zoro shook his head, moving into the room. He grabbed a bag that was sitting there and started stuffing items into it, slinging it over his shoulder with a wince. "You lost it on the island we were taken from...somewhere before the field. I was going to go back and grab it..."

Nami nodded, biting her lip. "We need to check the other rooms..." She said trying to hurry him along. She felt an all too familiar feeling well up that she hated. At least with her clima tact she was useful in a fight. She could only hope that Luffy and the others had found it, if they'd gone searching for them that is.

SHe shook the thoughts away and nearly startled as Zoro threw something toward her. She caught it almost instinctively. It was what looked like a broom handle, minus the broom and she started to say something snide toward him before he cut her off.

"You can use a bo staff right? Improvise." He snapped. He seemed to be searching for something, focused.

"Zoro...we need to go..." She insisted.

"Just wait...I have a feeling..." He moved further into the room and she winced at the noise he made, knocking over a couple of crates and boxes.

And suddenly he was beside her, urging her to move. "Got em. Let's go!"

Sure enough, she could see him tying his three swords into his haramaki even as they moved. It was something automatic, routine.

A smile, the first one in days came over her face. Just maybe they had a chance.

The smile faded from her face as she saw a glimmer of something moving toward them, something she couldn't quite see. Many of them blocking the corridor. There was just a smudge, an outline behind them and she heard the laughter that chilled the blood in her veins.

"Bravo. That stunt you pulled back there fooled everyone else but you didn't think I was that stupid did you?" Liloquois cackled from behind the images. Some seemed to be marines, others creatures out of nightmares, and all of them were inching closer.

Zoro had pulled his swords, but he knew as well as she it was wasted effort. By the time he took down all of them, Liloquois would have them and it would be over.

She backed up, but they were cornered. Behind them was a half opened door to what looked like a janitor's closet and she heard Zoro's boot hit a bucket as he moved back a step, taking aim with his swords.

She saw him glance down and then again, a gleam in his eyes and she felt relief. He had a plan at least.

That in mind, she squared her shoulders, adrenaline making the pain in her shoulder just a dull throb. Twirling the broom handle in front of her, as she would a bo staff she began to lash out, striking the images in controlled strikes. Sometimes they fought back with whatever weapons they had in their arsenals but she kept her focus, trying to buy time.

She felt a burst of energy wash over her, wind from an attack and saw Zoro take out a large number of them before ducking down, reaching behind his foot for something. She heard the bucket move, liquid poured and the next thing she knew she was being shoved forward as Zoro powered his way through the blurs, using his body to plow through. His bandanna was shoved over her face and she tried to pull it back only to stop struggling when she heard him coughing.

Liloquois too dropped to the ground, coughing and hacking. Zoro didn't stop, stepping over the man as they made it out the door behind him.

They managed to run before she realized Zoro wasn't keeping up and she grabbed onto him, pulling him in between two buildings.

He was breathing heavily, coughing in between.

"What the hell did you pull back there?" She demanded

Zoro seemed to be catching his breath and he grinned at her. "Remember when shit cook banned Luffy from cleaning the galley?" He asked

Nami made a face, confused, "Yeah but what's that got to do with anything?"

"The moron mixed a bunch of stuff and almost caused a reaction. Curly brow blew up at him, ended up explaining what would have happened if he'd mixed the bleach with drain declogger stuff, that it wouldn't have made the drain cleaner-,"

"It would have turned into poison gas!" Nami said in amazement, "And that actually stuck with you?" She laughed.

Zoro shrugged, "Worked didn't it?"

Nami laughed again, "With any luck that bastard's lungs are liquifying...Let's get the hell out of here!"

11111

The ocean air felt amazing against her skin, the wind rushing through her hair, even if it was only a small breeze. It felt so good to be free.

Nami's expression sobered as she looked at the candle's flame in front of her. They weren't quite free yet, but with any luck they would find Luffy and the others soon and all would be ok.

They'd managed to steal a small sloop that the two of them could manage and get out of the harbor at least.

She glanced across the small deck and saw Zoro tying off the last of the sails.

While things were quiet there was something she needed to do more than anything else. Her hand reached out, picking up a pen as she set a sheet of paper in front of her.

Luffy, she began writing,

If you are reading this...


	26. Pen and Paper

Theme: Pen and Paper

Rated: M

Words: 952

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. The great Oda does, please don't sue.

Chapter 26

Nami's pen flew over the paper as she wrote.

Tears threatened to blur her vision on many occasions and she stubbornly blinked them back, pushing on. She had to get it all out, on paper.

The little sloop they'd stolen was sailing like a dream but would they be able to find the others? Were Liloquois and his men after them? There were so many questions and none of the answers. She didn't have her log pose, she had no charts and absolutely no idea where they were. They could be days away from where they'd been taken. The crew would search for them but for how long?

She couldn't help but feel down, pessimistic. There had to be a ray of hope somewhere, but in case there wasn't, she continued to write.

She wasn't sure how long she'd been writing by the time she finished, re-reading over the words by the light of the candle.

She'd poured her thoughts, her heart into the letter and she just hoped that it would get to where it was supposed to.

Her eyes threatened to well again as she finished it and quickly signed her name to it.

The sound of something being placed at her elbow startled her momentarily but she calmed quickly, looking to the only other person on the ship with her.

He'd raided the galley it seemed and had placed the meager offerings on the table and taken a seat next to her.

"There's not much, I'm not sure this ship has been used lately. Lines and the deck are in disrepair but the hull's sound." Zoro said with a sigh.

Nami glanced at an assortment of what looked like crackers and pre-packed energy bars, reaching for one quickly. A single rum bottle and a bottle of water also graced the table.

"Eat slowly or you'll get sick." Zoro warned her, reaching for one of the bars as well as Nami eagerly tore hers open, taking a bite.

"Tastes like sawdust but it's so good..." Nami said, closing her eyes in bliss as she chewed, earning a chuckle from the swordsman.

"At least we can have a toast, to getting out of that place..." He said, almost cheerfully. "We need to take it easy on the water though, that's the only bottle we've got."

"There's bound to be rain. The air around here is moist, plenty of cloud systems in the area." Nami said, looking up as she finished off the bar. So far, the night was clear but she could see wisps of clouds streaking the sky and feel the moisture in the wind.

She glanced to Zoro, who seemed quiet, even for him.

"Are you alright?" She asked, feeling as if something she couldn't quite place was off.

"I'm fine." He assured her, offering a packet of the crackers, taking one for himself. Opening them, he took a bite, making a face. "Food could use an improvement."

"There aren't any supplies in the galley?" She asked, curiously. She'd only gotten a look around the deck really.

"There's not much of a galley to speak of. Not even a stove or a fridge." Zoro muttered. "No non perishables either in the store room."

"We'll have to figure something out..." Nami sighed, "Maybe there's a town or something, somewhere." Her tone was far from hopeful.

"We'll figure it out. Isn't the first time we've been in a tight spot." Zoro pointed out, leaning back in his chair and kicking his boots up onto the table. His gaze was on the papers in front of her, watching the corners of them flutter in the wind.

"What'd you write?" He asked, uncorking the bottle of rum. He was about to take a drink, hesitated and handed the bottle to her first. Nami took the bottle with a trace of a smile as she picked up the letter she'd written, handing it to him.

"I figured we could seal it in a bottle, tie it to the next buoy we saw and hope it gets to him..."

Zoro had taken the letter and he glanced up, nodding. "That's a good idea, there's a few empty bottles down in the galley..."

Nami watched as Zoro read the letter in front of him, his face stoic as he read. She sipped the rum, heart pounding even as she tried to calm down and relax. She supposed she was worried it wouldn't meet his approval. After a couple minutes though she could see him swallow, the only sign he gave that the letter had effected him at all.

He set the papers carefully under the water bottle to keep them in place and looked to Nami as she handed him the rum bottle. The simple nod he gave her, the look in his eyes was all she needed to know the letter had moved him deeply.

"We'll tie it to the next buoy we get to." He said quietly. He took a drink, a deep draw from the rum bottle, swallowing and then beginning to cough.

Nami leaned over and patted his back as the fit went on.

"Wrong pipe?" She asked, smiling.

"Something like that..." Zoro said wiping his eyes and face. He took a couple deep breaths, leaning back in his chair.

Her smile faded as she watched him. She knew better than to ask him if he was fine. Something was definitely off.

His dark eyes met hers and he kept her gaze, as if daring her to call him out. Instead, she took a sip of the rum and held it out as a peace offering.

"To freedom," She said.

He nodded, taking a careful drink.

"To freedom and finding the crew."


	27. Night

Theme: Night

Rated: M

Words: 965

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece, it belongs to the great Oda, please don't sue :)

Chapter 27

Smoke hung in the air between the buildings, making the night seem darker somehow. Though nothing was darker than Liloquois' mood as he raged at his men.

"What do you mean you've searched the whole island and they are gone? GONE?" he shouted, even as his second in command and Doctor attempted to re-wrap the gauze around his face.

"Captain! No so loud, you'll start coughing again!" Doctor Dizzle squealed out, agitated as Liloquois attempted to swat him away. It was rather difficult considering the rotund doctor took up quite a bit of space.

"I want them found! If they stole a ship I want it tracked and I want them brought here alive!" Liloquois continued to rage.

Unfortunately he couldn't see his men cowering in fear, he had the bastard Pirate Hunter to thank for that, and the little bitch.

The burns to his face would heal, the coughing would subside in time, but as Doctor Dizzle had stated, only time would tell if his vision would ever come back.

Liloquois' fist clenched and he stomped his foot like a child. "FIND THEM!" He yelled, enjoying the sound of his men tripping over themselves.

Doctor Dizzle finished wrapping up Liloquois' wounds. "And when they're brought back here?" He asked, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

"They'll pay." Liloquois vowed. "An eye for an eye, a scar for a scar."

1111111111111

They'd finished off the bottle between them, nothing new for either of them, though Nami could feel her head spinning pleasantly, a definite change from usual. She figured it was due to lack of food for so long.

It probably wasn't healthy for either of them but neither cared. They'd gotten the ship ready for the night and secured the letter she'd written in an old wine bottle and tied it to the last buoy they'd seen. She'd made note of the buoy markings, as she had for each one they'd seen, knowing they would be handy if she could get her hands on a chart.

They'd both laid down on the main part of the deck, next to each other, arms pillowing their heads as they gazed to the sky.

She'd managed to find a blanket and an old shirt that, though was far too small for Zoro, fit her fine. The night had turned overcast unfortunately, so navigation by stars was out until it cleared up.

"Why didn't you answer my question back at that place?" She asked, breaking the silence.

"What question?" Zoro asked, groggily, as if he'd been on the verge of dozing off.

"About why you and Sanji fight all the time?" She asked curiously, glancing to him, trying to read his expression in the dark. All that she got was him making a face.

"Of all the questions..." He muttered.

"Well?" She prompted, earning a sigh.

"Cause he's an idiot." Came the simple, dismissive answer she'd expected.

"Uh uh buddy. That's a cop out. Cut the crap. Is it because he's always trying to flirt with me? You realize he doesn't mean anything by it right?"

"He flirts with anything in a skirt. But yeah, that's part of it." Zoro muttered, seeming to realize too late how revealing the answer was to the navigator. He shut his mouth and looked away from her slightly triumphant look.

"Only part of it?" She asked coyly.

"Cut the crap, Nami..." Zoro said, tone low and full of warning as he rolled to his side, facing away from her.

Nami sighed, going serious. "Geez. Didn't realize it was such a touchy subject..." She muttered.

"You got my side of the story. Interogate him when you get back." Zoro told her, pointedly and she dropped the subject.

There were probably half a dozen things weighing on her mind as she lay there next to him and what possessed her to pick the most potentially volatile one she'd never know.

"Look..." She started, staring up at the sky to avoid looking at him. "What happened back in that cell-"

"Nami..." There was almost a pleading tone to his voice as he shifted to lay on his back again. She could almost hear the exhaustion in his voice. "I already told you it's fine..."

"No it isn't ok?" She snapped, sitting up, "Let me talk."

Zoro's gaze met hers, even as she looked away. "I wouldn't have done that with anyone you know. I meant what I said...I mean, I guess I trust you and you care and..." She let out a growl of frustration. "I suck at this stuff..."

Zoro raised a brow, "You guess you trust me?"

She rolled her eyes, "You know what I mean, damn it..."

She was searching for the words, trying to explain to him in a way he'd understand. Why couldn't she just come out and say how she felt?! They were both adults right?

She felt his hand move over hers, just for a moment, a light reassuring squeeze before he laid back down.

"It's fine Nami. Let's find the crew, get things back to normal and we'll talk then." His eyes met hers and she felt she could lose herself in them, in the promise they held.

And there it was, that little ray of hope she'd been missing.

She smiled to herself as she laid back down next to him, feeling suddenly giddy even as exhausted as she was.

"You steal the blankets, I'm going to kick your ass." She warned.

She heard him chuckle, clearing his throat as if trying to hold back a cough. "Says the thief." He threw back at her.

She stuck her tongue out at him and settled down, letting the warmth of his body next to hers and the gentle motion of the waves under them lull her to sleep.


	28. Stars

Theme: Stars

Rated: M

Words: 595, short I know, but the next chapter will be much longer, promise.

Chapter 28

Zoro watched the Navigator blink sleepily at him, on the verge of telling him to fuck off most likely. Nami was definately not what one could call a morning person.

"It's about an hour before dawn, sky cleared up, thought you might take a look." Zoro informed her.

She glanced up, rubbing her eyes and slowly started to get up.

"I'd kill for coffee..." She muttered around a yawn. He smiled slightly at that, knowing the feeling.

As she moved to fold up the blankets he saw her cast a suspicious look over at him as he sat down on the chair, picking at the wrapper of one of the energy bars.

"And what are you doing up so early?" She asked him, moving over to take a seat after she'd stowed the blankets.

He blinked at the question but glanced up at her. "Working out." He answered. It seemed like a plausible enough answer.

The truth of the matter was he'd gotten maybe an hour rest before he'd woken up gasping for air, his chest hurting so bad he'd felt like he was dying. After that he hadn't been able to find a way to lay where he could fill his lungs. Then there was the sore throat and coughing. The rum had definately not helped.

The last thing he was going to do was share that bit of information with her though.

Nami moved about the deck, leaning on the railing to look down at the waves, her gaze going back to the sky.

Honestly he didn't have a clue what exactly she was doing but she was in the zone and he trusted her blind. Occasionally she'd make her way to the table and jot down a note or two.

Zoro leaned back in the chair, rolling his shoulders, trying to work the stiffness out and he rubbed a hand over his face. His body was really protesting every movement more than ever today. Everything hurt. He leaned back in the chair and considered taking a nap in the position he was. It didn't seem like a bad idea.

Another glance over at Nami and he saw her concentrating at some point in the sky, her pen moving over the paper.

It was serene and peaceful, the sky inky black pin pointed with specks and bands of light. It gave Nami a glow that made her seem more beautiful than he'd noticed, or was that something else? The glow of excitement, of her in her element?

He closed his eyes and let himself drift off.

The next thing he knew, the air seemed colder somehow and he was being shaken.

He cracked an eye and saw Nami's face inches from his and full of irritation.

"What the hell is wrong with you? I've been trying to wake you up for forever!" She shouted at him.

Sitting up he rubbed his eyes, "Sorry...I must have still been tired..." It seemed lame to his own ears and he could see the from the glare she gave him that she didn't believe him for a second.

"Well snap out of it, we've got trouble..." She warned, voice tense.

How long had he slept for? It must not have been long because it was still dark. His disorientation and confusion faded as he got to his feet and got a good look around.

He'd been asleep for a while apparently, the sky was light, at least on the one side. On the horizon on the other side were the darkest set of storm clouds he'd ever seen.


	29. Mother Nature

AN: Thank you all for your wonderful reviews and words of encouragement! Keep them coming! This is going to get darker before it gets better but no worries, things will look up soon :)

Theme: Mother Nature

Rated: M

Words 951

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece, it belongs to the great Oda. Please don't sue.

Chapter 29:

As Robin made her way across the deck, her eyes scanning the horizon worriedly she heard the sound of the day's newspaper hit the deck and she moved toward it quickly.

Sanji hovered somewhere nearby, saying something about coffee but her focus was on the headline. She read quickly, that sinking feeling she had growing stronger with every word she read.

A hand moved to her shoulder and she glanced up to see Sanji's concerned face.

"You look like you've seen a ghost, you alright?" He asked, offering her a mug of coffee.

She took it and tried her best to give him a reassuring smile. Despite the chef's usual gullibility when it came to women, he read through her strained expression and she handed him the paper.

Sanji lit a cigarette and scanned the headline, eyebrows shooting up in surprise. "Worst storm of the century forcasted?" He read, scepticism heavy in his voice.

Robin motioned toward the horizon. "I'm not sure, but that doesn't look what I would call normal." Just barely visible were dark bands of clouds, and the sees seemed far to calm.

She could see the rest of the crew slowly filing out across the deck, most headed for the galley and caught a glimpse of Franky. He gave her a smile and a wave before too heading into the galley and she smiled a bit, feeling relieved. He'd been worried that their little rendezvous would have been noticed but it seemed they were in the clear as far as that went.

"Without Nami here, what are we supposed to do?" Sanji asked, casting a glance toward the galley then back to Robin.

"It says that the storm is forcasted to hit the Banded Islands." Robin pointed out.

"Which is where we're headed." Sanji said taking a drag of his cigarette. "Liloquois owning one of them can't be a coincidence."

"That's right, but the World Government weather service issued a warning that it may be better for all ships in the area to ride out the storm in harbor..."

"Hm..." Sanji took one last drag and tossed the butt over the rail. "We need to talk to the others. Franky knows how much the ship can take and the shitty skeleton might be a pain in the ass but he's at least familiar with this area and can read a chart." A bang came from the galley and Robin could see the chef sigh and rub the bridge of his nose as if he were warding off a headache.

He offered his arm and they made their way across deck, glancing at Robin now and again. She met his eyes and he gave her a slight smile.

"By the way, tell the shitty robot that next time he wants to steal a bottle of wine? Top shelf."

Robin looked at the chef, expecting him to be upset, to make a seen but instead she saw he seemed content. There was even a bit of mischief in his blue eyes.

"Oh?" She asked

"Top shelf is the best we have. And you deserve the best."

111111

The little sloop heaved, thrown this way and that by the waves, at the mercy of the full force of mother nature.

The wind was howling so loud it was nearly impossible for them to hear each other across the deck.

They'd both tied themselves to the deck with improvised safety lines and Nami was at the wheel, trying to steer.

"Zoro!" She shouted over the pounding rain and wind. "The sail's coming loose again!"

He looked up and sure enough, another line had broke.

"Fucking piece of shit." He swore viciously. The lines were snapping all over.

Ignoring the pain and exhaustion he pulled himself up the ropes and did his best to steady himself as he tied the snapped line.

The ship rocked as another wave hit them. Thankfully Nami knew how to stear the little ship through the trough and avoid being battered by the worst of the waves. He glanced down to see seawater wash over the deck, up to Nami's ankles.

"We're losing decking!" She shouted. A few boards had broken and were washed over the rail, revealing worn wood underneath, the framework of the ship.

"One problem at a time!" He shouted back, securing a knot just to see another snap further up.

He gritted his teeth in frustration, climbing higher to secure that one as well.

Nami was shouting something from down below but he couldn't hear her. The wind had picked up and the rain was starting to feel like a thousand icy projectiles against his skin. After a minute he realized it was actually hail.

He concentrated, knotting the line as fast as he could, securing the sail as he felt the ship sway and rock far more than usual. He almost had the damn knot.

"Nami!" He shouted down toward her. "Keep the damn ship steady!"

"Zoro! Get down now!" He could hear panic in her voice. It wasn't like her to panic in a storm. She actually enjoyed the challenge of mastering the elements most of the time.

"Zoro!" There it was again though, raw panic.

He glanced up and felt his heart freeze in his chest, his blood along with it.

There was a wall of water, much higher than the sloop and it was going to hit in seconds.

He tried to scramble down the lines. "Grab onto something!" He shouted. He had no idea if she heard him. Everything seemed to go so eerily quiet as he grabbed onto the mast to brace himself, unable to get down to the deck.

The world tilted and everything went black.


	30. Drowning

Theme: Drowning

Rating: M

Words: 639

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece, the great Oda does. Please don't sue.

Chapter 30

Her head barely made it above the dark waves as she fought to the surface, gasping for air and almost earning a mouthful of salt water for the effort. The seas were still raging around her, rain, wind and hail howling through the air.

The ship was in splinters, mangled by the giant wave that had capsized them, torn apart. Part of the wreckage floated on the surface, the bulk of it was disappearing beneath the waves, being pulled down to the depths.

"Zoro!" She shouted, sputtering as water hit her face. Panicked, she tried to look for any signs of him. He was a strong swimmer and should have hit the surface by now.

"ZORO!" She shouted again, swimming, fighting with every move of her body toward some of the wreckage, searching.

Then she remembered, the safety lines. She'd had to cut herself free from the rail to get to the surface. He'd been on the mast.

Pushing her hair from her face she searched hurriedly only to realize that the mast was still attached to the bulk of the ship, and it had just been pulled down.

"NO!" She shouted.

She drew a deep breath and dove beneath the surface, ignoring the sting of salt as she opened her eyes. The water was dark and murky and she could only estimate where she was going.

Something hit her, nearly plowing over her and she almost panicked, envisioning sea kings or sharks only to realize it was a beam and it was moving down, being pulled by the rest of the wreckage.

Latching on for dear life she scrambled over the wreckage, finding the railing of the sinking sloop and pulling herself toward where she knew the mast was.

Her lungs burned, and she could feel pressure building as they were pulled further and further from the surface.

Her hand hit the mast and she felt around wildly, trying to find the line she knew had to be there. It seemed like hours and her lungs were screaming for air.

Her hand felt a boot and she grabbed it like a vice, slipping her knife from her pouch. She still had that at least and she fumbled at last finding a rope, only praying it was the right one. She cut through it and the boot started to move away from her.

She shot toward the surface, feeling as if her lungs would explode and she grabbed on to the swordsman, pulling him with her.

At last her head broke the surface and she gasped, sucking in air, expecting Zoro to do the same. Even if he was unconscious he should have started coughing.

She tread water, holding him up and she reached out, touching his face, "Zoro? Zoro!" She shouted, slapping his cheeks.

His head lolled to the side and he was slack. She glanced around, seeing part of the wreckage and swam toward it, pulling him with. She managed to get him up onto a board and climb up after.

"Don't you do this to me!" She shouted, reaching out to shake him again. Nothing.

Her hands moved to his chest, beginning compressions and she leaned over him, pinching his nose shut, breathing into his mouth.

To her relief, he jerked beginning to cough and she turned him to the side as his lungs worked to get the seawater out of them.

Nami could do nothing but rub his back as he coughed and hacked. His breathing was ragged, noisy as he finally calmed. He was still unconscious but he was breathing. She wiped her face, unsure if she was wiping water, rain or tears away.

Her head was swimming, her whole body shaking and she lay down next to him, the sounds of the storm continuing to rage all around them as she faded away.


	31. All That I Have

heme: All That I Have

Rated: M (this chapter is a little dark, potential tissue warning)

Words: 2241

Chapter 31

The storm had been much worse than forcasted according to the newspapers. It had slammed into the Banded Islands as well as two other populated island chains with a fury not witnessed in recent history.

Coastal towns were devastated, nearly wiped off the map from the winds and storm surge, thousands of ships were severely damaged, many more reported missing and presumed lost. Even a Marine base was reporting that they'd taken a hell of a beating.

The Strawhats themselves had sheltered the Sunny in a cove they'd found and luckily they'd only had minimal damage. As they sailed into the archapelego known as the Banded Islands, they were starting to get a glimpse at the aftermath themselves. They'd seen trees, roof tiles and other debris that had been washed far out to sea. The Banded Islands themselves were only sparsely populated and the debris had most likely come from afar.

Usopp and Chopper had finally deciphered the composition of the mirror like material they'd found and determined that it was a rare metal and one of the very few in the world that could be blended with sea prism stone. It was highly prized by the Marines, and extremely expensive. For this very reason they'd been able to track the source to three islands in the Banded Islands. Considering the information they'd learned, that one of the islands was owned by none other than a certain Captain J.S. Liloquois, it had to be more than a coincidence. Now it was just a matter of figuring out which of the islands he used and hoping they could find out where the crazed man had taken their crew mates.

Most of the waters here were uncharted, the few charts that did exist were Marine charts that were kept under lock and key. Thankfully, they'd managed to find an older chart that had at least a few of the islands on it, and Brook had a passing knowledge of the area they were in, as well as experience with more trechorous waters.

As the hours passed, the crew had gone about their usual routines, taking turns at the helm and the usual duties that kept the Sunny in top shape and in working order. Currently Brook and Franky were at the helm while the others took a much needed break.

Luffy sat on his usual place on the figurehead, his eyes trained to the waves. He hadn't moved in what seemed like hours and the rest of the crew was really sensing how morose their Captain seemed. There was a dark shadow in the young man's eyes, as if he couldn't quite deal with all the signs of pain and suffering they'd seen as they'd started to enter the island chain.

The mood on deck was certainly subdued. Robin sat on one of the deck chairs, working to decipher some of the documents they still hadn't managed to figure out, the more badly damaged ones. Usopp and Chopper sat quietly playing a game of chess and Sanji had retreated to the galley to make drinks, which he'd passed out without a word, not even to Robin, though he'd smiled at her. Even he seemed far more somber than usual.

Drink in hand he moved toward the figurehead.

"I made you a milkshake, so you better get down here and be grateful." Sanji called up to Luffy as he lit a cigarette.

"Thanks..." Luffy muttered, though he didn't move, eyes trained to the horizon.

Sanji sighed, "Look, sitting up there moping isn't helping any of us, so get down here and drink your damn milkshake and pretend your happy about it damn it!"

He could see Luffy nod, starting to get to his feet but before the captain started to climb down the figure head he froze, tensing. Sanji followed his gaze and clenched a fist.

"We've got company! Marine sail on the horizon and closing fast!" He shouted.

Luffy jumped down from the figure head, moving to the rail. "This is bad, battle stations everyone!"

"Aww crap, what else could go wrong today?!" Usopp shouted, scrambling to the trapdoor that led below deck, where the ammo was stored.

"And I just fixed the Sunny too..." Franky muttered, keeping his place at the helm and slipping his sunglasses down over his eyes.

"Robin, crow's nest, Chopper, up front with me and Luffy, Brook, help Franky at the helm." Sanji yelled out across the deck watching everyone scramble to get into position. He could see the look on Luffy's face as the ship neared, recognition and horror and he braced himself, seeing Chopper go into Strong point, though he too looked spooked.

"Hey, that's the ship that nearly blew us out of the water!" Franky shouted, "Want me to activate the Coup de Burst?"

"Wait!" Robin called down from the crow's nest. "They seem to be signalling us and they haven't fired a shot yet."

"They don't need to if they board..." Sanji said darkly, recognizing the dog figurehead of the ship from Water 7.

"Signalling?" Asked Brook, raising a pair of binoculars. "They are! There's a Marine on deck waving a white flag!"

Luffy stood tense, watching as an all too familiar form stood on the other deck, waving as the ship approached, pulling up along side the Sunny.

"Keep her ready men but hold your fire." The large, grey haired man with Vice Admiral insignia told the armed marines on deck, all of them looking decidedly nervous. With that he turned and called out "Permission to come aboard?"

"Do I have a choice?" Luffy called back, even as the older giant of a man made the leap to the other deck with the grace a man his age shouldn't poses.

As soon as his feet touched the Sunny's deck, he hauled off with a smack upside the head, sending the Strawhat's captain into the railing on the other side.

Both Sanji and Chopper bristled at that, Chopper starting to move toward Garp. "What's wrong with you?!" Chopper shouted.

"Chopper, stop!" Luffy called out, picking himself back up and moving across the deck towards Garp, rubbing his head.

Chopper stepped back, letting Luffy past and Sanji let out a snort, keeping an eye on the vice admiral as he lit a cigarette.

"Wanna tell me why you even bother asking for permission to board when you're just gonna smack me upside the head like old times?" He muttered with a pout.

"That anyway to greet your grandfather you little punk?" Garp asked, crossing his arms, a grin over his face.

There was a moment of tension as the two stared each other down and both the crew of the Sunny and the Marines on the other ship breathed a visible sigh of relief as Luffy scratched the back of his head and laughed.

"Guess things never change huh?" Luffy said, "Question is, you aren't gonna try the same crap you did last time are you? Cause then I'm gonna have to wreck your ship and all..."

Garp snorted as if in disbelief and Luffy just fixed him with a grin. "You never change..." He muttered, his expression growing serious. "I'm not in the area to pick a fight, and as much as I'd like to personally drag your ass in to Headquarters..." He shook his head, levelling Luffy with a serious look.

"I know why you're in the area, the whole situation with two of your crew members being captured. Thing is, I was sent in along with another ship to capture them after they escaped from where they were being held."

Luffy's eyes widened, "I knew it!" He grinned, "I knew they'd escape!' He whooped, turning to his crew, "See guys?"

Sanji could see the grimness on Garp's face that told him that wasn't the rest of the story. "Luffy..." He said softly, motioning toward Garp.

"Oh right." Luffy said, still smiling, "So ya couldn't find em right?"

"Luffy...the search has been called off. I lost the other ship in the storm and considering circumstances, they too have been presumed lost."

The smile on Luffy's face faded only slightly as he gave Garp a questioning look. "No way. Nami's the best navigator ever...and Zoro's really strong. They're both way too smart to get caught up in a storm..."

Garp shouted an order to send over a basket and a short while later, a rope had been tied between the two ships, a basket sent over. A mummer went over the deck of the Sunny as Usopp and Sanji saw what was inside, both of them glancing to each other, dread filling both of them. Robin had made her way down from the crow's nest and her expression was tense, somber as she looked from the basket to Luffy.

"You should see this..." She said softly as Luffy watched the faces of his crew members, making his way over.

"We found the wreckage of a small sloop that was reported missing the same time they escaped and these were tangled in a line...and I'm having a hard time believing they'd be willingly left behind." Garp said, handing Luffy the two items he'd recognize anywhere.

He went still, silent as he looked at the all too familiar sword and bandanna in his hands. Garp gave a nod to his crew, and they seemed to understand the silent order to get ready to cast off. He pulled one last item out of his pocket.

"We knew we were on the right track, we found this tied to a buoy before we had to pull back from the storm..." The folded piece of paper was placed in Luffy's hand and Luffy seemed to go slack, sitting down heavily on the deck, his hat shading his face.

"My condolences. I'm not going to kick you when you're down but the next time I see you in the area, I'll do what I have to." Garp warned, getting a weak nod from Luffy.

With a last glance to the silent, shell shocked crew, Garp made the leap back to his own ship, commands were called out and they began to pull away from the Sunny.

Not a sound was heard on the deck other than Chopper's muffled sniffles as he cried against Usopp. Brook, Usopp and Franky did nothing to cover the tears they had running down their faces and Robin seemed teary eyed as she bit her lip, looking away. Sanji took a seat next to Luffy on the deck, his eyes blank, features tense as he reached out to pick up the bandanna. He clenched a fist and tossed it across the deck before nearly slumping forward, arm across his upraised knee as he hid his face.

A crinkle of paper was heard as Luffy opened the letter and read, tears streaming down his face.

The sound of the sword clattering onto the deck broke the silence as Luffy got to his feet, wiping his eyes. "They are still out there," He said quietly, voice raw with emotion. "I'm their Captain and I'd know if they were dead..."

Sanji's voice was muffled, "He'd never willingly leave that sword behind, you know that..."

"The odds that they survived..." Robin agreed softly.

"NO!" Luffy shouted, "They aren't allowed to die! You understand?! You guys are all that I have and I'm not gonna lose anyone! Now everyone stop crying, we gotta find em!"

It took a few stunned moments but everyone complied and they were soon under way.

111111

Her vision was hazy as she opened her eyes again, the sun blazing down on them, brighter than when they'd been in Alibasta and twice as hot, the glare reflecting off the water.

She felt as if she was baking under its rays, her body protesting the simplest of movements.

Nami wasn't sure how long it had been since the storm had passed, how long they'd been floating on the piece of wreckage the size of a full sized bed. All she knew is that they were going to die here.

They were in the middle of the sea, exposed to the elements, without food, water or hope.

She sat up weakly, as much as she could and glanced at Zoro. He hadn't regained conciousness and she wasn't sure he ever would, given the circumstances. Only the rise and fall of his chest let her know he was still alive.

She swallowed painfully, feeling how dry her mouth and throat were and adjusted the scrap of sail over Zoro's back. He was already sunburned, blisters forming on his shoulders, even as bronzed as he was, his bare skin stood no chance to this intensity of sunlight. The almost healed wounds on his back inflicted by the whip were worse off. She only hoped the bit of canvas would offer some protection.

Her head was pounding and she felt dizzy as she lay back down, careful not to shift the balance of the board too much. Gulls were circling overhead, ominous as vultures and in the water, she'd spotted more than one white tipped fin.

The sharks had arrived. The white on their fins telling her they were still in deep waters. Oceanic white tips were not coastal sharks.

She closed her eyes again, muttering a prayer, hoping, praying they would make it through but as she started to drift away, she knew it could be the last time she'd ever seen the sun.


	32. Dying

Theme: Dying

Rating: M

Words

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. It belongs to the great Oda, please don't sue.

Chapter 32

Her eyelids felt as if they'd been glued shut as she tried to open them. There was an odd sound that was more annoying than an alarm clock or the gulls overhead. The sound of something banging against wood, over and over.

"What the hell?" She grumbled, forgetting where she was as she rolled over, determined to get up and find the source of the noise only to feel the icy shock of water hit her.

She panicked, remembering they were in the middle of the sea, the aftermath of the storm, the sharks!

She needed to get out of the water. It was then that she realized her frantic movements to swim were met by more sand than water, that she could hear the sound of waves pounding over stone.

Nami sat up quickly, realizing she was in only a few inches of water and she nearly kissed the ground. They'd washed up on a beach.

Her eyes teared up and she couldn't help but sob in relief as she got to her feet, moving over to the makeshift raft.

A current must have pulled them in and the sound she'd awakened to was the sound of boat wreckage hitting a stone over and over.

Zoro hadn't moved, he was still on the raft, laying on his side. He seemed pale and far too still and she feared the worst as she approached, kneeling next to him in the surf. He was breathing, barely but at somepoint the sailcloth had come off his back again and she winced when she saw how red his skin was. She could feel the heat coming off of him from here.

She reached out, touching his face and nearly jerked her hand back. He was burning up, it wasn't just the sunburned parts of him and his breathing seemed off somehow.

She stood and looked around them. The sky was slightly overcast and the air was definately cool enough to tell her that nights here would be chilly. It had to be a fall island, there was no other explanation for the weather patterns in this area. The island didnt seem terribly large but then again she could only see where the coastline curved in either direction.

The shore was sand but pitted with rocks of all sizes and where the coastline curved to the left, the beach ended, turning to bare stone cliffs. Beyond the shoreline was a forest, a temperate forest it seemed. There wasn't a palm tree in sight and so far there were no signs of human inhabitants. No tracks, no trash, no boats. On the horizon she could make out a smudge of what seemed to be another island but other than that, it was all dark ocean, the waters here a dull blue grey. It was beautiful in its own right but not ideal, not now.

They needed water, food, shelter from the temperature. They needed so much and she had no idea how to go about getting any of it.

Moving back toward Zoro, she reached out and gently shook him.

"Zoro...Zoro!" She called. "We're on an island, I need you to wake up now." She wasn't sure how long she sat there trying to wake him but after a while it seemed more like she was pleading with him to no avail.

He had a fever burning and it seemed far too high, it was no wonder he was unconcious. Fevers like this were dangerous, sometimes people never woke from them.

She felt a stab of pain at the thought and she felt the overwhelming urge to just give up.

What was she supposed to do? She had to save him right but how? She was certainly no doctor and she had nothing here! It was so frustrating.

Trying to clear her mind, she thought about her options, what she could do. She needed priorities, a list.

First she needed to help Zoro, then shelter. Everything else could wait right?

She struggled, but she managed to pull Zoro off of the make shift raft into the water, knowing it would cool him, sitting down next to him to keep his head above the water.

It was no good, despite the almost frigid water temperature his forehead seemed as warm as ever.

Unexpectantly, his eyelids began to flutter and he tried to sit up. His eyes were hazy and he seemed disoriented.

"We got to an island, Zoro." She told him, her eyes full of concern. "You've got a fever..."

"I'm freezing...I need to get out of the water." He muttered, weakly making his way up onto the shore and nearly collapsing as he started coughing.

Nami moved to his side, patting his back helplessly as he coughed and coughed, the coughing turning to dry heaves at some point. There was nothing in his stomach for him to spit up. The chlorine gas must have gotten to him when they'd escaped, and she had a feeling almost drowning hadn't helped.

Eventually he rolled onto his back, completely exausted, shivering.

Nami swallowed hard, "You're fever's getting worse..." She said, nearly whispering.

Zoro was breathing heavily but his chest seemed to spasm with every breath.

"Get help Nami..." He said weakly, looking up to her.

"And leave you here? Are you insane?" She shook her head, emphasizing the point that she would not just leave him on a beach.

"I'm not going anywhere-" He tried to joke, breaking off coughing. "If you can't get help and they don't get this fever down..." He trailed off, a serious look in his eyes and Nami fought back tears.

"NO!" She yelled at him. "You are going to be fine alright? You aren't dying from a little fever, you understand me you jackass? I will NEVER forgive you. Your grandkids will be paying off your debt to me still, you understand?" She ranted, not caring if she made sense.

Zoro chuckled weakly, "I don't even have kids Nami, much less grandkids. Sucks. Would have been nice someday."

Nami grabbed his shoulders, lightening her grip at the pain she saw on his face, remembering the blisters. "Now you listen here. Your ass stays right here until I get back. You and I are going to get off this island, and then you can go be Mr. Badass Swordsman and go have a million kids but you keep breathing, understand?"

Amusement shined in his eyes and he gave her another nod before his eyes slipped closed.

Her heart stood still for a minute until she realized he'd just lost conciousness. Making sure he was as comfortable as he could be in the sand on the beach, she took one last glance at him before turning toward the forest.

She fought down the urge to break down, to panic. Her hands were shaking, her whole body, anxiety like she'd never felt in her life nearly overwhelming her.

If something happened to him, if he died...she shook the thought away vehemently, feeling the pain in her chest all over again, as if her heart was being crushed.

Taking a deep steadying breath, she began to walk, one foot in front of the other.

She only hoped she could find help or figure something out.


	33. Drink

AN: Thank you guys so much for all the favorites, the follows and of course to my loyal reviewers who review every chapter to give me feedback. It means the world to me, really. It helps me to guage if I am doing a good job, if not, what you guys liked and didn't. And sorry if I made a few people cry last couple chapters...it will get better, maybe not this chapter but soon :) Keep the feedback coming all of you, don't be shy, I don't bite :D

Theme: Drink

Rating M

Words: 2017

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece, it belongs to the great Oda, please don't sue.

Chapter 33

A sharp pain like a bolt of fire down his spine woke him with a start, though any movement hurt like hell.

Zoro felt like he was in an inferno, like he was burning from the inside out. Every breath he took felt as if it didn't even half fill his lungs and the urge to cough was unbearable, but so was the pain that shot through him everytime he did.

He tried to shift, to find a way to lay on the sand that didn't hurt, finally managing to lay where it hurt a bit less. He swallowed hard, trying to sooth his dry throat, his hand moving down to the comforting weight on his hip, feeling the hilts of his swords.

It took a minute for his fever fogged brain to register there were two instead of the usual three and his hand touched the hilts again, his other hand moving to his other hip and under his back, trying to find Wado Ichimonji. He forced himself to sit up despite the dizziness and pain and tried to search the sand.

Pure dread crept through him, like ice water in his vains even as his body gave out and he felt himself laying in the sand once more. It must have slipped free during the storm, when the wave had hit. He didn't have any memory of what had happened after, the last thing he remembered was the black water closing over him...

Grief filled him, so deep it hurt and he squeezed his eyes shut, laying against the cold sand. He'd made a promise, made an oath that he would make her proud, he'd accomplish her dream as his with that very sword. It was all he had left of her and now it too was gone.

The constant struggle for air was wearing on him, his sudden exertion hadn't helped and he felt his vision going black, his head growing foggier by the second and he realized this was probably it. His body wasn't strong enough, he'd been a fool to think otherwise.

He draped an arm over his eyes and fought back the bitter tears. He'd failed all of them, Nami, Luffy and Kuina. None of his promises would be kept. Fate, his hopes and dreams, all of it had been a cruel joke.

He hoped Nami would be able to make it, to get back to Luffy somehow and continue with them and as he finally stopped fighting unconciousness, his last thoughts were that he wished he'd be there to see it.

111111

Nami had been in the forest only a short time but she was feeling a little more hopeful. Among some trees, she'd seen the first signs of people, garbage. There wasn't much, and it was possible that it had been washed this far in by the storm surge, but either way, it gave her hope. She'd gone through it, looking for anything that might be of use, finding only an old water bottle and an opened aluminum can. Both could be used for water after she cleaned them up a bit.

Carrying her prizes she moved a little deeper into the forest. It really was beautiful, like out of a story book, quiet and peaceful, the only sounds were that of her footsteps and the occasional birds. Leaves were changing color, some of them starting to fall, a blanket of them covered the forest floor already, signalling the change of season. These sort of islands had only a very short summer season but despite that, this forest was thriving.

She was trying to formulate a plan, what the best idea would be. She really ddin't want to leave Zoro unattended for too long but he needed help and badly. If she wasn't able to get help, she could only hope to find water and food for them and pray his body healed itself. She didn't like that version too much at all. She didn't like facing risky odds without someway of tipping the scales.

Nami paused for a moment and heard the sound of trickling water ahead. Her heart soared and she hurried toward the sound, seeing a small creek cutting through the forest. Placing the bottle and can on the ground she knelt down and dipped her hands in the water, taking a sniff. It smelled clean and fresh and was clear. It was always a risk but she'd take it. Her throat was parched.

She drank her fill, drinking slowly to not get sick and savored it. She washed her hands and face and got to work cleaning the bottle and can until she was happy with them, filling them both to take back with her.

Nami saw a squirell on the other side of the creek dart up a tree, another further up chattering. There seemed to be wildlife here, though what kind, she wasn't quite sure. Where there were animals though meant food and for a moment she wished Sanji was there to tell her what sort of things were edible, or to hunt or go fishing. Why hadn't she learned all of this?

Then again, she wished Chopper was there too, he'd be able to save Zoro then. She lay back for a minute under the shade of a large willow, wanting to take only a short break before heading back with the water.

The low hanging branches swayed in the breeze, their light green, almost whitish leaves almost mesmerizing in their beauty.

Her eyes widened as she remembered something.

Chopper bringing jars of plants he'd gathered back to the Sunny, unloading them in the galley to organize them before putting them away, him, Robin and Sanji discussing them. Nami had seen the willow branches he'd gathered and made some crack about how the leaves couldn't be good anymore if they were moldy. Chopper had explained to her that it wasn't mold but fine hairs that gave the white willow it's name and that the bark was good for fevers and pain.

It had to be a sign and she nearly squeeled in joy and relief. If she could make a tea out the bark somehow she might be able to help him!

One thing at a time She thought to herself. She reached up and plucked a few twigs from the tree, gathering a handful. Along with the water, she made her way back to the shoreline, surprising herself as she recognized more plants on the way. A handful of peppermint and witch hazel leaves joined her twigs. It seemed that maybe she wasn't such a dunce at this survival stuff.

One thing she didn't have a clue about was how to make a fire. Her heart sank a bit. She'd have to try and get Zoro talking, if only a little. His life depended on it.

11111

The fire crackled in front of her, it was small but it gave her light and warmth, and just a bit of hope.

She was growing more worried about Zoro by the second. He was burning up, sleeping fitfully. She'd managed to move him a bit under the treeline and he'd been completely out of it, delerious when she'd gotten back.

He'd muttered things she couldn't even begin to understand, probably fever induced dreams. She had managed to get him to talk though, get through to him. He'd rattled off the instructions to make a fire like it was second nature. For him it probably was. It had been broken, interupted by gibberish but she'd deciphered the basics.

It had taken hours to get the thing burning. Her hands bore the results of her work, they were blistered and raw from rubbing the stick back and forth but she'd finally gotten just a tiny ember going and after feeding it patiently for the last little while, it was finally ok. She was heating pebbles in the fire, waiting for them to warm up so she could steep the bark in warm water and make a tea.

She glanced to Zoro worriedly. She only hoped he'd keep the tea down. She'd tried giving him water but his stomach rejected it each time, even in small amounts.

Making the tea kept her busy, made her feel like she was doing something useful and kept her mind off of stress. She'd thrown a few peppermint leaves in with the bark in hopes that it would help him keep it down. She'd originally picked them for herself as a small comfort and she was glad. The witch hazel leaves had been rubbed along one of the stones and moistened and she'd put them on his back in hopes that they'd sooth the blisters and sunburn there. She'd have to do something for Chopper when she got back. His constant talking was paying off big time.

She picked up the can and tested the tea. It was perfect temperature, warm but not too hot and she moved over to Zoro. In the cool air the tea steamed and she held it in front of his nose, hoping that the warm minty vapor would help to sooth the occasional coughing as well.

He seemed to perk up a bit and she managed to lever him up slightly as his hazy eyes opened.

"Got something for you. It'll help your fever."

Zoro shook his head, moving his mouth away to the side. "I'll just get sick again...I'm not going through that again..." He muttered.

SHe tried again and again to press it to his mouth but he struggled, almost causing her to spill.

"Stop damn it!" She shouted at him in exasperation. "You need to drink this."

"Forget it." He said, his eyes hazy, distant. "Just let me lay here...I can't...my sword..."

She stared at him, trying to decipher what he was saying. Like earlier he kept going on about his sword. Glancing down at his trio of swords, she realized one was missing, the white one he seemed to favor.

"Look Zoro. It was a really beautiful sword and it's horrible that you lost it but I'll get you another one ok? Now drink please." She practically pleaded.

His vision seemed to clear a bit as he stared at her and shook his head. "You don't understand...that sword, I had a promise, and now it's gone...everything, my dream..."

Despite him not being able to clearly state his point, she was starting to realize there was something deeper about this whole thing, something that had demotivated him so deeply he seemed to want to give up, which might explain his worstening symptoms.

She wasn't going to let him do this, just give up. Blinking back tears she stared him down, her expression going stony.

"You need to drink this now. You pulled me out of my self pity crap back there when I was at rock bottom and I'm going to do the same if it kills me, you hear me?" She practically yelled at him.

"It's a sword, not your life. You said something about promises, how about the promise you made to Luffy? That you'd help him reach his dream, or you and his stupid promise that I'm always supposed to smile. Think I don't know about that? If you die you think I'm going to be smiling?" She demanded.

She helped him sit up and forced him to take the can. "Now drink it and I don't care how but you are keeping it down, understood?"

Zoro looked away but finally nodded, seeming to steal himself, find his resolve and she sighed in relief as he took a slow drink.

Nothing was said as he drank the tea in small sips, finishing most of it before laying back down. She could see him close his eyes, his body tense.

She felt conflicted as she sat by the fire, taking turns watching it and him and finally she moved over to him, laying down near him so that she could observe him.

She was exhausted but she knew if she got sleep at all tonight it wouldn't be much.


	34. I Can't

AN: Just to clarify to all of you out there, white willow bark is where the main component of aspirin comes from, it's been used in Europe for thousands of years as a tea to relieve pain and fever before it was put into pill form.

Theme: I Can't

Rated M (Mentions of darker themes, but nothing too over the top.)

Words 1418

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece, it belongs to the great Oda, please don't sue.

Chapter 34:

Nami was exhausted. It had been a hard 24 hours and all she wanted to do was sleep.

Carefully she fed more wood into the fire, trying to keep it smoldering in the cold damp air.

The weather had been crisp and night time especially so. Since the sun had gone down, the temperature seemed to have dropped at least ten degrees, if not more.

She'd gotten only snatches of sleep the night before, scared that if she slept too deep or long that something would happen to Zoro. He was finally showing signs of improvement and she figured he'd gotten enough of the tea into his system by now. He was sleeping restfully and deep for the first time in hours.

He had hardly been coherent over the past day, more delirious than anything, awake only for short bursts of time. Thankfully he'd only been sick twice more, and he was holding down liquids. Each time he opened his eyes she made sure to take advantage and get him to drink more of the tea.

She'd only briefly left him alone during the daylight hours to gather more water, more of the willow bark and peppermint. She'd had a bit of luck and found some blackberries and a few apples and as delicious as they were, she'd kill for something more substantial.

Her eyes were starting to droop as she heard movement from beside her and saw something that made her heart soar.

Zoro had sat up, not the groggy uncoordinated movements since they'd been here but as if he were awakening from a long neck and she saw him rub a hand over his face.

She was leaning against a tree, her knees drawn up under the t-shirt she wore, arms drawn into it for warmth.

"How are you feeling?" She asked softly.

He glanced to her and she noted with relief that his eyes were clear and he had more color. "Gotta pee..." He muttered, getting to his feet a little shakily, as if he were stiff. A few strides though and he seemed as always.

He moved away from her, into the trees and she breathed a sigh of relief. The flood gates opened and she ducked her head, letting the tears come. The days of pain, confusion, heartache, frustration, terror, all of it coming out of her at once, and then at last relief.

She wiped her eyes and face on the shirt, feeling lighter as she heard his boots coming back towards her. She didn't dare look at him as he took a seat beside her, hearing him pick up some of the wood to feed into the fire. A few seconds later, the fire seemed to glow brighter, warmer.

"Trick is to keep the embers hot, just like you did, then you can feed the wood in over the hotter burning stuff. You did a good job." He said softly.

She tried to keep her voice from hitching, "I didn't have much of a choice. I just had to wing it from what you told me and hope for the best, otherwise..." The lump in her throat choked off the rest of her sentence.

There was silence between them, just the crackling of the fire. She sat there wondering how much of the ordeal he really remembered and tried to glance at him, through the veil of her hair. Was he ok now? He seemed much better or was it just the medicine in the willow bark relieving the symptoms?

Zoro cleared his throat, looking into the fire thoughtfully, "I owe you for what you did back there. I'm not sure how you did it but, I wouldn't be sitting here without you..."

"Please..." Nami scoffed, "It was just a few things I learned from Chopper...we just got lucky I was able to find the stuff for your fever."

He glanced over to her, "Had the tables been turned I wouldn't have had a clue what to do. I mean I would have tried but I'm not good at that sort of stuff."

"Just like I suck at this outdoors stuff. You told me how to build a fire, I didn't have a clue. Just like I'm not sure what we're going to eat or how to get it, how to cook it...face it Zoro, I can't do this stuff. I can't build a shelter or hunt or fish." Nami rattled on, earning an almost amused look from him.

"What?" She snapped.

"You just haven't learned it yet." He went, quiet, somber, his gaze growing distant. "I mean it though, back there, I...You reminded me of some things when I thought it was over. I felt like I failed someone, and though losing the sword still hurts, it doesn't necessarily have to define me or make me who I am."

Nami took in his words, realizing the meaning behind them, realizing at last that this sword meant a great deal to him, had meant a great deal to him.

"You got it from someone who meant something to you didn't you? Like an heirloom?" Nami asked him, her hand unconsciously going to the bracelet she wore around her wrist that she'd gotten from Nojiko.

A faint smile crossed Zoro's face. "Something like that. I promised to take the sword, fulfil their dream and mine."

"To become the world's greatest swordsman?" Nami asked, intrigued. "Something happened to him and he couldn't do it?"

"Her." Zoro said quietly. "She wanted to be the world's greatest swordsman and she would have done it too." He said with absolute conviction. He swallowed. "She died in an accident, running up the stairs to get a sharpening sword after I made her fight me. She died because of my stupid pride."

Nami blinked back tears as she reached out to touch his shoulder, hearing the pain in his voice, the self loathing. "I'm so sorry..." She couldn't help but feel a little jealous and kicked herself, feeling immediately guilty. The girl was gone but still, she seemed to mean a great deal to him.

"You loved her didn't you?" She asked him softly, seeing him glance to her as he snorted, dismissing the question. She knew from his reaction she wouldn't get a clear answer.

"We were kids Nami. I was ten."

She smiled a bit at that, knowing an evasion when she heard one. The topic was closed but she still was amazed he'd shared as much as he had.

She busied herself making another batch of tea, this time just peppermint for now and she moved over to where she'd stashed some of the fruit.

"You think your stomach can handle something solid?" She asked, tossing him an apple.

He shrugged, "Worth a try..." He muttered, taking a bite. They both slowly finished off the rest of the fruit she'd gathered and shared the tea.

"I'll go hunting tomorrow. You see what they have here?" He asked.

"You need to take it easy, you still aren't a hundred percent..." Nami cautioned, seeing him suppressing the urge to shiver.

"Fever's broken and I'm not going to get better on apples and tea. We need to think about getting some real food and setting up a shelter..."

Nami nodded and hesitantly moved closer to him, leaning into him, trying to share her warmth. The poor guy was shirtless. He didn't push her away, letting her lean into him as he fed the fire.

She watched the flickering flames. "You know, back there, you pulled me back from the darkest depths of self loathing a person can get to..." She admitted quietly, forcing her to get the words out.

"I mean, it wasn't the first time something like that happened to me, but to be treated like a piece of meat, to be raped..." Her voice choked on the word as she steeled herself to get the rest out, "You gave me strength when I didn't have any left. You helped me find the strength to get through it and realize that I'm not weak..."

Zoro's gaze was on hers, un judging, stoic but her words had struck him deep. "I never thought you were weak. Anyone who does is delusional. He'll get what's coming to him, don't worry about that."

The flames of the small fire reflected in her eyes as she stared into them, her face determined.

"You'll have to get in line," She told him firmly, "This time I'm not letting someone fight my battles..."


	35. Questioning

Theme: Questioning

Rated: M

Words: 833

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece, It belongs to the great Oda, please don't sue.

Chapter 35:

The fire had died down a bit but it still let off enough warmth to fend off the worst of the chill. His only other source of warmth lay curled up against his shoulder.

Nami finally had fallen asleep. She was out, dead to the world. He had no idea how long she'd been awake but considering the state he'd been in, it was no surprised that she had nothing left.

He glanced at the sleeping navigator, her peaceful features and it struck him again how beautiful she really was.

He was a man, and sure he'd noticed that she was an attractive woman from the start, it was something hard to miss. Nami was also one who took the motto 'If you've got it, flaunt it' to extremes sometimes. She came off to many as a materialistic vain girl but there was much more to her than that. It was a wall she hid herself behind, one of many.

She didn't need to style her hair, wear make up or dress up in the closet full of clothes she had. They were shipwrecked on an island, before that, they'd spent almost a week locked in a hellish cell in a stone prison. Her hair hadn't been combed in a while, she was streaked with dirt, her fingernails were chipped and had no polish left on them and yet she was still beautiful.

Her long lashes fluttered as she shifted a bit in her sleep, letting out a sleepy sigh. She sounded content, happy.

He liked her, that much he would admit to. It had been that way for a long time and he suspected the feeling was mutual.

She always had some excuse to seek out his company, more often then not they would team up to go into town on shore leave or for errands. As much as he hated shopping and being dragged around from shop to shop, again and again he found himself right there.

There were many times where he found himself sitting for what seemed like hours as she tried on clothes. More than a few times she'd modelled various outfits for him, making him ask himself why he let himself be tortured. He'd never give her anything more than a comment or show how much it effected him sometimes though. And perhaps that was why she kept doing it. Maybe she was looking for a sign from him, a response.

Other times, the two of them would find themselves in a bar, some more quiet than others. They would drink, talk. Other times he'd watch as she played cards or swindled a game of pool, all of it to make money for them, for the ship's funds.

There were times she pissed him off, pushed him to the limit, especially with the debt that she hounded him with, threatening him with it to get her way, holding it over him as if she owned him. The more he thought about it though, the more he started to wonder if she did it because she was scared he would be done with her if she called them even. It was a security net to her, a way to keep him close.

Nami was the sort of girl that he'd always wanted to avoid meeting, a woman who challenged him at every turn, who didn't hesitate to tell him he was wrong, who felt the same thrill for life as he did. He'd wanted to avoid all that because he knew the minute he gave in he would fall, and hard. He wanted to fulfil his dream, continue his training and let nothing get in the way of that.

He was a swordsman, training came first, perfection of the body and soul. Matters of the heart were to be pushed aside.

But Nami had a dream of her own and she wasn't one to let anyone stand in the way of that, or stand in the way of anyone else's.

She had seen him at his lowest, pushed him back up rather than to let him falter. She'd shed more tears for him in the past few days than he wanted to give thought to.

And as she lay there against him, sleeping peacefully, he started to question himself, started to question if matters of the heart really made one weaker.

Despite his body being weak, the effects of the fever still lingering, the pain and hunger, with her here he felt bulletproof.

Maybe that was what was missing, what differentiated a warrior from a great warrior. He'd seen it time and time again with Luffy. Even at his absolute worst Luffy would defeat an enemy with no reserves left, because of his crew, to save them, to keep their dreams alive.

Because he put his heart into it.

It was a risk, it was something that could backfire, have consequences and he knew that. But maybe fate was giving him a sign here, maybe he should listen.


	36. Food

AN: First and foremost, I want the thank all of you guys for your favs and follows...I was absolutely flabbergasted when I logged in this morning that the number had jumped and to see all the fantastic heartfelt reviews you guys had left. Thank you so much. When I wrote the last chapter, I was feeling sort of down, unsure of myself. I'm my own worst critic but I was blown away by the reaction to it. Thank you guys again!

Theme: Food

Rated: M

Words: 1484

Chapter 36

Nami awoke slowly, feeling as if her head was filled with cotton. There was a deep ache in her sinuses that she usually got when the barometric pressure dropped, when a storm approached. She felt groggy, for a minute thinking she was back on the Sunny and that she should go on deck to check the weather.

It was only when she realized that she was laying against something warm and solid, that she felt the chill of the air and smelled the wood smoke that she remembered exactly where she was.

Sitting up quickly she cast a quick glance to Zoro, realizing she had fallen asleep against him. She felt unsure of herself, awkward, and she was happy that he seemed to still be sleeping soundly.

She wasn't quite sure what it was, he'd seen her at her most vulnerable, never once judged her, and yet, there were times he made her so uneasy without even trying.

It was as if everything in her being was screaming at her that he was getting too close, and yet, somehow, since the whole thing had begun, that wall she'd built was chipping more and more. She was seeing sides of him she'd never imagined, and felt more and more drawn to him, more and more intrigued. Intuition was telling her that it wasn't one sided.

The question was, what was she going to do? Did she take the gamble and see how things went or did she set things straight and end it before it even had a chance.

Nami was one for a good gamble, high risk, high reward had always worked well for her.

As Zoro started to stir, sitting up and stretching, his dark eyes focusing on hers, still full of sleep, she shook her head clear of the thoughts, pushing them aside to puzzle them out at a later time.

111111

The sun had risen a little higher in the sky, showing it to be late morning. Despite Nami's early symptoms, the sky continued to be clear, though she had a feeling it wouldn't stay that way. Something was off and she knew that a storm could kick up rather fast in this area.

Despite Nami's concerns, Zoro was insistent that they found food, setting that as a priority above shelter for the time being. She'd eventually given in, seeing his point and agreeing, but only after having him drink more of the willow bark tea. He didn't seem to be running a fever anymore but he wouldn't give her a clear answer on whether he was in pain or not either. With little bickering he'd accepted the tea and they'd made their way into the forest.

Nami kept close to Zoro, letting him lead the way but keeping careful track of the path they'd taken. It would be all too easy to get turned around in a forest like this one.

"Forest looks promising, might be deer here, or even boar." Zoro said as he made his way through the under brush.

"I doubt there's much in the way of big game here..." Nami muttered, "If it's a small island, it can't really support a vast ecosystem but maybe..." She shrugged.

"I don't know. Something's telling me there's more than meets the eye here." Zoro said as they continued on. He seemed so different as he moved through the trees, each step careful, his gaze taking it all in.

Sure, she knew he could hunt, survive in various environments. He'd gone hunting on more than one island to replenish their stocks when food was low. Both he and Sanji. He, Luffy and Usopp had gone fishing on many an occasion. Maybe he was seeing something she'd missed.

Zoro had moved ahead and she scrambled to keep up as he moved between two large trees. She nearly tripped over a log in her hurry, on the tip of her tongue to say something to him as she saw him stop, his body tensing. He held up a hand, signalling her to stay silent.

He must have spotted something. Curious to see what sort of animal he'd spotted she moved slightly to see around him, snapping a twig. He shot her a look before glancing back. There was a small clearing before the trees began again and across it, she saw something move, something remarkably well concealed in the forest and high grass.

The sight of such an animal was thrilling but it made her blood freeze in her veins.

The large tiger eyed them from across the clearing, apparently alerted to their presence by Nami's not so careful footfall.

It seemed tense, at least as tense as Zoro, unsure whether fight or flight was in order.

Nami was captivated as she watched Zoro, who'd hardly moved, his gaze on the big cat as it too stared him down.

The tiger let out a snort, it's breath fogging the chilly air, as if he were dismissing them. It moved languidly, fluidly just a few paces and reared up, dragging its front claws almost lazily down a tree trunk, as if the tree were just in the way of it stretching.

She couldn't help but notice, as the two stared each other down, the tension there, but the lack of aggression, the almost respect in the air. It was chilling but mesmerizing somehow.

The tiger eyed Zoro, almost in challenge, as if daring him to cross the line before turning and disappearing, ghost like into the forest.

It was only then that she saw Zoro relax.

He glanced to her and she looked at him with wide eyes.

"That was a tiger!" She said in a hushed whisper. "There are tigers here! Just great..."

"Long as we don't cross that line, we're ok." Zoro said, pointing to the tree. "He marked his territory, the boundary line, and as long as we respect that..." He shrugged.

Nami wasn't exactly convinced. "What if there are more of them?" She asked, her heart racing. "What are tigers doing on an island anyway? There shouldn't be enough here to support them!"

Zoro seemed amused. "You're the navigator, you tell me. THink it's possible that this island connects to a bigger one somewhere?"

It made sense, what he'd said, and like a plausible explanation. "It might be worth checking out...if there's another island, a larger land mass that means..." She smiled, seeing him give her a matching one, as if on the same wavelength.

"That means there might be people." He agreed, motioning toward the trees rather than across the clearing, "First things first, food."

1111111

The fire crackled, sending the most delicious aroma into the air. Nami's mouth watered at the thought of the meal to come.

She'd been unable to watch him clean and butcher the deer, although she'd seen him kill it in a single merciful strike of his sword. Something about the whole thing made her stomach turn and though he'd teased her about it, he'd respected it and done it away from the fire and help gather what he'd told her he needed to cook the animal.

After what seemed like an eternity he finally took the leave wrapped packet out of the fire pit, motioning her over.

The meat was cooked to perfection, falling apart at a touch and they both eagerly dug in.

"Where did you learn all this stuff?" She asked after a while as they continued to eat. She probably looked like a barbarian, eating with her hands but she could care less. Food had never tasted better, though she knew that was near starvation talking.

"Over the years, picked up a thing or two. Didn't always have the money to go into town and eat at the local inn, you know. And Curly brow talks so much that you end up picking up a thing or two."

Nami raised her brows at that, "You guys always fight though."

Zoro shrugged, "Not always. We've gone hunting together more than a few times and he's the one that butchers the meat mostly. I'm usually the only one who doesn't complain when he needs help."

"So you two can be civil." She said amused.

"I wouldn't go that far." He said without missing a beat, but he seemed amused.

They continued their meal, finishing up what they could eat and Zoro began, figuring out how to pack away what they couldn't for later, telling her how they needed to preserve some of it, either by drying or smoking, telling her what he planned to do with the skin.

At some point he noticed she'd stopped listening, giving vague one worded responses, her distraction.

"Something wrong?" he asked, looking at her in concern as he saw her hand pinching the bridge of her nose.

"My headache...it's getting a lot worse. Drop in pressure." She muttered, scanning the horizon. "We've got another storm coming in..."


	37. Grey

AN: I'm glad the tiger in the last chapter came over well :) Since it's one of the animals that Oda likens Zoro to, I thought it the perfect addition. Tigers are one of my absolute favorite animals, to the point where I've been a conservation nut for years to try to do something to save them. To see a tiger in the wild is a thrill that I think would be unfathomable...and the more I thought about it...the more I got all philosophical about it...hence the chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece, it belongs to the great Oda, please don't sue. Any grammatical mistakes are mine. So sorry :( Though English is my first language, I speak German 99% of the time and my English has gone to hell.

Theme: Grey

Rated: M

Words:

Chapter 37

The wind had picked up, practically howling over them as the trees bowed and swayed overhead. The sky had turned gunmetal grey, clouds full and heavy, waiting to burst open at any minute.

At Zoro's instance, they'd smothered the fire pit, collecting only some of the embers in the can that Nami had found to avoid having to start from scratch. They'd started down the shoreline toward the cliffs.

Shading his eyes against the wind and blowing sand, Zoro looked over the ocean, seeing the white capped waves roaring in.

"How bad's this one going to be?" He asked, shouting over the wind to be heard.

Nami stumbled over something in the sand, cursing. "Bad." She called back, "Though not as bad as the one that sunk us."

Zoro gave only a grunt of reply as they headed toward the imposing rock cliffs. He had a feeling that with a bit of luck they might find a cave. Places like this were full of them, and barring any animal inhabitants, it would be a safer choice to weather out the storm than out in the open, under the trees of a forest.

He glanced back at Nami, who seemed stony faced, quiet, almost annoyed. She hadn't been thrilled to pack up what little they had and smother the fire pit but the thought of being crushed by a falling tree was something she liked even less.

She'd complained and whined, made sure he knew what she thought of the decision, but he didn't expect anything less from the firey navigator. She'd seemed to be in good spirits, the food improving her morale, but this storm was another set back, and he could see in her eyes that another sort of storm was brewing there. One of self doubt and self pity.

He couldn't blame her. For every advance they made, there were three setbacks it seemed. He too was frustrated. He wanted nothing more than to figure out what was on the other side of the forest, find away off this rock and back to the crew.

On the other hand, Nami's arguments that they needed to rest up were right. He was no where near fit for an over land expedition and though she seemed to be keeping it together, he could see the exhaustion and hunger had worn on her and how her shoulder still pained her despite how well it was healing.

The waves were coming in further up the sand at this point, nearly to the edge, to the point were they were almost walking in the surf.

It took him a minute to realize she was calling his name and when he turned to respond he could see the annoyance which meant she'd probably been trying to get his attention for a while.

She waved a hand toward where the cliff face started and he blinked, seeing what she'd spotted.

"Well...that was easy..." He muttered, seeing an opening a few meters above the ground. The way up to it didn't seem impossible either.

"There's gotta be a trick right?" Nami asked, moving beside him. "I mean after all this shit that's happened, there's no way that we're this lucky." She said, pessimistically.

He almost agreed with her but shrugged instead. "Only one way to find out. You ok to climb and carry that stuff? How's your shoulder?"

Nami shot him a look, "Don't know, why don't you tell me how your back is and we'll compare notes."

Zoro rolled his eyes. "Suit yourself. I don't want to hear you wining."

"I might not be all big and strong like you," Nami said, mockingly batting her eyelashes at him, "But I can do this."

Zoro chuckled, "Let's go then. Last one up checks the cave for animals."

He found it amazing how fast she could be when properly motivated.


	38. In the Storm

AN: To answer one of my loyal reviewers on what Luffy's doing 0.0 Um...that's a good question, I better put something in here huh? ;) And another chapter for today! Woohoo. Happy Thanksgiving to all out there that celebrate it. I will more than likely not be posting tomorrow, as I will be cooking all day. It's my boyfriend's first Thanksgiving ever, and you know...it's gotta be perfect...like Sanji's food perfect. Considering all the work I've got cut out for me...I most likely wont have time to write :( But I promise I'll get right back at it on Friday!

Theme: In the Storm

Rating: M (Adult content in this chapter, that's right, some of you have been waiting for this and I hope it doesn't disappoint! All ye under 18 be warned, and those who don't like that sort of thing, feel free to skip.)

Words: 1691

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece, the great Oda does, please don't sue.

Chapter 38

Sanji paced the kitchen. He'd put on more tea and coffee, simply to have something to do and he was considering prepping for the next day, more than he had already. He sighed. The never ending mountain of work he always seemed to have was down to nothing. They'd been sailing aimlessly between the islands for days.

"You should take a seat," Brook said, from his place at the table. He'd been reading the paper and drinking tea but for the past while had been watching the chef pace a hole in the floor boards.

"You've been on your feet all day. Come to think of it, when did you sleep last?"

Sanji shrugged, taking the whistling kettle from the stove and adding tea leaves into the holder. "More tea?"

"No thank you. If I drink anymore I'm sure my eyeballs will be floating. That is if I had any!" His laugh rang out through the kitchen, though Sanji didn't even seem to notice his skull joke.

It was so quiet except for Luffy's occasional snores and mutters that you could hear a pin drop.

The Strawhat captain had at some point fallen asleep at the table, and aside from draping a blanket over his shoulders and laying him on the bench, they hadn't bothered him.

Pouring a cup of coffee instead of his usual tea, Sanji eventually joined the skeleton musician at the table. He glanced to Luffy before taking a sip of the coffee.

"I just think that Luffy's trying to keep his hopes up too high. He's hanging on to the chance that they're out there and that makes it worse than just accepting..." His voice choked off and he took another sip to cover it.

Brook sighed, knowing all too well what the chef was feeling. Loss, grief, anger. "Maybe he's right though. Maybe they are out there. Maybe he just wants proof."

"Of what?" Sanji seemed to snap. "That they aren't coming back? That sword...He would have NEVER left it, not in a million years. Nami and him, they're-"

"Say another word and I'll make you eat them," Usopp warned, coming into the galley from out on deck. He took a minute to peel his dripping rain gear off. The chef glared at him, daring him to try but said nothing. It wasn't characteristic of Usopp to make threats but given the circumstances, everyone was on edge.

"Look, if Luffy says they're out there that's good enough for me. I'm supposed to be the negative one right?" Usopp pointed out, "Can't you just hope for the best?"

"He's right you know." Brook added with a nod of approval.

Sanji shook his head, and lowered his voice. "You know what? You two do what you want, but if it turns out that this shit goes south, and you keep feeding this crazy notion of his," He said pointing to Luffy, "Then the two of you can pick up the pieces alright?" With that the chef stormed out onto deck, cigarette at the ready.

Brook and Usopp exchanged a look and a sleepy mutter came from the other side of the table. "He's just upset, that's what he does...he gets grumpy. Things are gonna get better guys..." Luffy muttered, drifting back off seconds later to leave them wondering if he'd even been awake at all.

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They were safe and dry for the moment. It turned out that the cave was less of a cave and more an indentation in the rock, about the size of a large room. It was dry and protected from the howling wind and that's what mattered.

Zoro had improvised and used the deer hide he was planning on preserving as a temporary door of sorts. It worked more or less unless the wind really blew in their direction.

From outside they could hear the rain pouring down, beating off the rocks with a fury. Occasionally the sky lit up with lightening and thunder rumbled.

Nami had made more of the willow bark tea and he'd finally convinced her to drink some of it as well.

She was glad she'd listened, her shoulder felt better for the first time in days. The cave hadn't been a bad idea after all. With the fire going it was significantly warmer.

She only wished they had cards or something. Or a bottle of rum. She glanced to Zoro as he passed her the tea.

"Drink the rest. I drank most of it." He pointed out. With a nod she drained it, glancing back to him.

"What?" She asked, "Why do you keep looking at me?"

"Don't flatter yourself, I'm trying to get a look at your shoulder, but I can only see the edges. You mind?"

He'd moved a little closer, apparently asking if he could check the wound.

His little jab at her had sounded pretty hollow and she wondered why he seemed so on edge. Was he actually nervous around her?

"Fine..." She muttered, pulling the shirt up a bit. She still had her bikini top on under it, something he'd seen her in a million times so she had no qualms letting him take a look.

His hands were warm on her skin, his finger tips rough and calloused but he was gentle as he touched around the wound. The stitches were gone but Nami knew there would be a faint scar. As much as a bastard as the doctor had been, he'd done a good job.

The flat of his hand touched the front of her shoulder his other hand moving her arm, testing range of motion. He'd gone through these exercises with her when they'd been in the cell.

"Range of motion?"

"Good" SHe muttered, trying to suppress a shiver and his hand moved over her skin.

Seemed all that thinking she'd done earlier had dragged up some things she'd been trying to suppress. And now she wasn't sure she could get rid of them.

Get a grip, girl She thought to herself as she saw his dark eyes meet hers, searching.

"Cold?" He asked and she shook her head.

There was a glimmer of recognition there, he must have seen something in her eyes, she must have given it away somehow and she could have kicked herself as she felt his hands leave her.

Now things would just be awkward. She didn't want that. She was tired of hiding things away. This time was different than before, she knew what she wanted.

It was what she always wanted, to live for the thrill, the gamble.

She closed the gap between them, catching him by complete surprise by her suddenness. She expected him to push her away at any second, to be rejected.

He liked her, that much she knew but was he attracted to her? He was such a damn puzzle sometimes. Usually she could have men falling at her feet at the bat of her eyelashes. But not him, never him.

Just as she was about to give up, to back away, to somehow deal with the rejection, she felt his hands move over her back, pulling her closer, his lips moving over hers, his tongue slide over her lip.

Fire ignited in her, she couldn't get enough, couldn't drink him in fast enough and as his hands began to roam she realized it was mutual.

A thrill went through her as his hand moved under the string of her bikini, slowly moving toward the front, as if testing the waters.

Nami was more than happy to oblige and she pressed herself closer to him.

His hands were working magic over her body and she gasped as his hand found her breast. Seconds later his mouth was there, replacing his hands. The logistics of it all were beyond her, she felt as if she had died and gone to heaven.

Her hands moved over his shoulders, his back, getting a feel for the muscles that she'd admired many a time. She couldn't resist moving her hands over his sculpted pecs or running a finger over his abs, loving the way he closed his eyes and leaned into her touch, his breath hitching just a bit.

Her mouth moved to his neck and she nipped his ear as she found the button to his pants, pushing his haramaki out of the way.

His hand closed over hers, his hazed eyes meeting her equally hazy one. "We don't have to go any further, I don't want you to feel pressured..." Her mouth cut off his words, even as he attempted to keep speaking.

"We could always stop.." He stared at her, as if he were looking into her soul and she stared back here eyes all fire and want.

Her hand rested on his cheek, her other on the fly of his pants. "If you stop right now, I will hurt you." She vowed.

That seemed to be the only thing he needed to hear and the two of them seemed to begin a race to see who could undress the other quicker.

Their bodies joined, hearts pounding, their breathing heavy, each of them lost to desire, want, need.

It didn't matter that a storm was raging outside, it didn't matter what had happened...everything seemed fresh and new.

The world seemed to explode into a place were bliss and pleasure took over and she was overwhelmed, dizzy with the sensation.

She saw him move, felt him deep within her as he drew her face to his, his own body shaking with pleasure. She could almost feel the current of it move through him.

They lay there together on the floor, both of them beyond exhausted and Nami couldn't find the words to even begin to express what she'd just felt.

And somehow she didn't need to. Zoro's eyes watched her, his hand moving to her cheek to draw her down for a kiss, his expression sleep and content.

She lay against him, feeling his warmth, feeling secure. A warm feeling moved through her chest and before she could give more thought to what it meant, she'd closed her eyes.


	39. Teamwork

AN: Sorry for the lack of updates over the past few days. We had a busy week here. A lot of drama and problems with my son's school. We spent our Thanksgiving in the Emergency Room because my son got beat up. Thankfully he's doing ok but there has been a lot of fall out here from that, a lot of stress. We did salvage our dinner and have it on Friday, and it was perfect :)

Theme: Teamwork

Rating: M

Words: 837

Chapter 39

Nami was warm when she awoke, warm, comfortable and content despite the soreness she felt. Her shoulder, her body ached from sleeping on the cold hard stone and when she moved she could feel a definate soreness of muscles not often used.

The combination of that and the arm she felt around her nearly made her jump up in a panic, her heart pounding momentarily until she got her bearings.

She realized she was safe, her mind registered it was Zoro, remembered the feeling of skin on skin, of bliss and pleasure unlike anything she'd ever felt.

She sat up, carefully moving out from under his arm, her gaze moving over his body. Despite herself she couldn't help but blush seeing him lying there. He seemed at peace, content and she could see his magnificent body in all it's glory.

Everything had been heat and passion the night before that she'd hardly gotten a good look at him. And yet, she felt something akin to guilt, to shame creep over her as she reached for her discarded clothing.

She almost felt as if she'd used the situation, the circumstances to her advantage. He was a wonderful man, one of a kind. Honorable, brave, strong...he could have his pick of anyone. Why would he chose anyone like her then for longer than a fling when she was damaged goods?

She'd seen the look in his dark eyes when he looked at her, the emotion and it terrified her more than she could bear.

It had been nice, she'd give it that, but she needed to find her resolve and put things back to normal before something got out of hand.

Gathering her resolve, reciting the words, she worked to get the fire going again from the embers it had burned down to.

Thankfully they had water from the day before and she started tea with the last of their supplies, glancing to Zoro on occasion.

It was only a little while later that he woke up, and she got a wonderful look at the man stretching.

One glance to her and he seemed to read the dark mood of melancholy that Nami had slipped into.

He didn't say a word to her, only leaned over, his mouth brushing over her face in a ghost of a kiss, his hand brushing through her hair, and somehow the words she'd spent so much time formulating died away.

11111

Breakfast had been a silent affair, fruit and some of the tea that Nami had made, Zoro giving the navigator her space.

The storm had blown over, leaving its traces on the landscape outside. The beach was strewn with broken branches and leaves, driftwood and seaweed lay tangled far upshore from the storm surge, at the very edge of the beach.

Zoro spent a couple hours constructing something and when Nami came out to see, she was surprised to see he'd been drying strips of the meat he'd hunted the day before.

Breaking the silence but not glancing at him, she muttered, "We need to get water, maybe a few other things..."

Standing and wiping his hands off after he'd hung the last of the thinly cut venison he nodded. "Might not be a bad idea to check out the island a little bit. At some point we need to try and find a way off."

Nami sighed. "We need to prioritize here. I mean as nice as it would be to get out of here, find the crew, what if we can't? We need to make sure we have supplies, water, food, medicines, that the shelter is fixed up. I'm not sure I can sleep on rock another night and I know your back is killing you..." It all came out in a huff of frustration and Zoro stared at her for a long moment before finally nodding.

"If we work together, we can probably get this done by tonight then, but I can't do it alone." His voice had a tone that put her on edge instantly, defensive.

Her eyes snapped to his, "What did you think I was going to do? Lay on the beach and drink pina coladas?" She demanded.

His mouth quirked and he approached her. She tensed as he leaned forward and she felt his lips brush her forehead, almost endearingly.

"Let's get going. We've got a lot to do."

Nami was confused, staring after him as he started down the beach. She finally moved after him, determined to catch up so the idiot didn't get lost.

She saw him glance back at her, eyes meeting hers seriously, "I know where I stand Nami, but you need to figure it out before it eats at you. At some point we're going to have to talk."

She wanted to snap at him, to rage out, throw something at him for always somehow being able to read her like a book, for knowing just how to deal with this stuff.

Deep down though, she knew he was right.


	40. Introduction

Theme: Introduction

Rating: M

Words: 2257

AN: There's no excuse really as to why I've left this sitting here as long as I have..none. I've been swamped...Between school meetings, appointments and a cold that has kicked my ass so hard...ears are completely blocked up, bouts of vertigo and a whole list of other symptoms I won't bore you all with...I've just felt rather meh...Like sitting here and typing this next chapter out would take far too much effort...so yes...I'm back though and I will do my best to get these next 10 or so chapters knocked out as quickly as possible :)

Also-I contemplated again putting lyrics into this thing and decided against it, I highly recommend looking up the song "Extraordinary Girl" by Green Day though...it's about a relationship and dealing with the issues and frustrations...and that song rather inspired this chapter...especially the lyrics:

She's all alone again  
Wiping the tears from her eyes  
Some days he feels like dying  
She gets so sick of crying

and

She sees the mirror of herself  
An image she wants to sell  
To anyone willing to buy

He steals the image in her kiss  
From her hearts apocalypse

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece, it belongs to the great Oda, so please don't sue. Also do not own the song "Extraordinary Girl" which belongs to Green Day.

Chapter 40

As the days passed on the island, Nami kept herself busy. It wasn't as if they lacked anything to do. They'd gotten a decent, weather proof shelter constructed, found ways of storing water they were able to gather from the stream as well as rain traps. Zoro had even found ways to secure their food supply in a safe place when they were away from their camp. There had been a rather unfortunate incident where they'd come back to find their sleeping mats and the fruit Nami had gathered decimated by a herd of wild goats.

They were a ways away from the camp at the moment, over the past day they'd set to exploring. Nami had the suspicion that it wasn't actually an island at all, something more like a peninsula, though as of yet she'd seen nothing to confirm it. She'd kill for her map making kit. She wanted more than anything to map what they'd seen thus far, but she didn't have it. Not even a pen and paper. She did her best to remember the details of the coastline as they trekked along, the landmarks they'd seen, details about the island, everything.

It kept her mind off of other things, things she was doing very well not to think of, or at least she did well during the day. When night fell, when they made camp for the night, like last night, as she'd tried to get some rest, tried to let her exhausted body succumb to sleep, her mind made it nearly impossible.

The same thoughts echoed through her mind as they had for days. She'd ruined everything.

Zoro had hardly said more than a few words to her since that morning on the beach. Logically, she figured that he was giving her space to cope, to deal. With what exactly she wasn't even sure.

They'd had sex, so what? They were both adults. They were attracted to each other. They'd gone through hell and back together, it was normal right? She wasn't sure anymore.

She couldn't help but feel guilty. She'd used the situation, manipulated him somehow like she'd always done. She was good at that.

They were supposed to be nakama, nothing more. They were supposed to be able to trust one another, to depend on each other, not get caught up in the fantasy that something could work between them.

She looked ahead at her companion, who was walking ahead. He was probably leading them in circles out of all honesty, and yet somehow she could care less.

He was such a strong man, in more ways than one. Honorable, honest, brave... He deserved much more than a broken shell of a woman like her, a woman who manipulated and stole her way through life for her own gain.

That's what it had been right? A meaningless fling to make herself feel better after the horrors bestowed on her back at the hell hole of a prison. A night of pleasure to make her forget? It couldn't have been more than that. That she was sure of.

The flutter in her chest when he'd kissed her softly on the beach, the feeling she'd had when he'd nearly succumbed to his fever? It was all something conjured up right? Why was this feeling stuff so fucking confusing?

She felt the unbelievable urge to cry and stuffed it down. She'd done enough of that and it didn't do anything but make it worse.

She was shaken out of the dark storm of thoughts by Zoro's voice. It took her a minute to focus and realize he was pointing something up ahead.

She caught site of what seemed like a dilapidated old hut and blinked.

"Think it's worth looking into?" He asked her.

Nami gave a nod. "We'd be crazy not to." She pointed out.

Purpose in mind, the two of them approached.

1111111

Tensions were high, there was no doubting that.

It had been over a week and the Strawhats had been busy. Islands had been explored, maps, charts and documents, read, re read, analyzed, fought over and picked apart.

There was no sign of Nami and Zoro on any of the islands they'd explored, no sign of inhabitants with the exception of an abandoned base camp, more than likely used by the Marines.

There was a chart rolled open on the table, Franky, Sanji and Robin were gathered around, looking at it thoughtfully when a finger smudged a spot on the map.

"I say we go there next." Luffy said, through a mouthful of the sandwich he was currently scarfing down and Sanji wrinkled his nose in disgust, swatting the captain's hand away and grimacing at the grease stain. He sincerely hoped they did find Nami soon because she was going to personally hand the captain his ass for the state of her beloved charts.

"That's a glob of sauce you moron. Now sit down and eat before you mess it up anymore." The chef said with exasperation.

He saw Robin's slightly amused look as she dabbed at the smudges on the paper the best she could with a napkin. Diplomatically, she looked to the young captain and pointed at one of the islands.

"The best I can tell, this is where Liloquois has his operations based out of. I say that we head there and see if your grandfather's story correlates to what we find..."

Luffy glanced to where Robin had indicated and his brows scrunched, "Hey...He wouldn't give us wrong info you know, he's a jerk but he doesn't lie." There was some indignation there in his tone.

"He's still a marine, Strawhat..." Franky cut in, stopping as Robin graced him with a smile, as if telling him she'd handle it.

"There may be something he overlooked perhaps. He doesn't know the Swordsman and Navigator like we do. A clue he didn't see, maybe." She told Luffy, who nodded.

Sanji and Franky exchanged a look, knowing what Robin was saying. To trust a marine, Luffy's grandfather or not was one thing, but to have cold hard facts was another.

"Let's go then. Maybe that bastard will still be there." Luffy had finished his sandwich and his crew sat that gleam they knew all too well in there Captain's eyes. "No one messes with my crew and gets away with it!"

1111111

Exploring the ruins of the cabin, obviously long abandoned had been a moderate success. They'd found a few usable things. A few empty glass bottles, a knife, paper, pencils, some cloth and a sewing kit and a full, unopened bottle of rum.

For the first time in days Zoro had seen a ghost of a smile there on Nami's face.

He wasn't quite sure what it was that had driven her into the self loathing state she'd been in the past few days, but he knew her well enough to know that is what it was.

She was quiet, withdrawn. He'd heard her cry herself to sleep, needing to find some way to deal with the self pity.

It was frustrating to see her this way. He wanted to yell at her to snap out of it, to try and get it through her head that nothing had changed between them like she seemed to fear.

Maybe something had changed between them though, he realized as he thought about it. If it had been anyone else, Luffy, Usopp, the cook, any of them he would have snapped by now, told them to stop with the self pity shit and move on, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He couldn't risk seeing her break. Seeing her in this much pain was beginning to wear on him. He was torn between being pissed at her for putting him through this, intentional or not, and wanting to hold her close, assure her that he could help her somehow.

His mind was working overtime as he set up the camp for the night. They'd moved far inland from the shore and it was safest to set up a temporary camp for the night than risk the forest after dark.

He had a fire going and he saw Nami absorb herself in mending her clothes the best she could with the sewing kit, her nimble fingers making quick work of it. When she seemed pleased with the results, she gave him a glance and moved closer to the fire, laying out paper.

In the warmth of the firelight he tried to meditate, to find his center. Maybe by clearing his mind he could find a solution. Try as he may though, he couldn't focus, his attention drawn time and again to the navigator. He noted with interest she seemed to be writing something, rather than drawing a map like he'd first assumed.

Curiosity got the better of him as he watched her write in what looked like her own brand of unique shorthand.

"Not a map huh?" He asked, kicking himself. Hell of a smart question.

She glanced up and continued writing. "No...it's more of a log..."

That was right, she'd been doing that since the beginning, writing a log that she kept under lock and key with as much secrecy as any money or treasure they found.

"Doesn't a captain usually do that?" He asked, trying to find some way of getting her talking, a level of normalcy again.

Her lips quirked a bit. "Please. Our captain colors with crayons..."

Zoro chuckled at that. "He might surprise you. Maybe he keeps one too."

Nami shrugged, "Not like this...It's...it's a rudder. It talks about what we've seen on our journey, currents, islands, places to avoid..." She glanced at him and shrugged, "It's kind of a navigator thing...and it's worth it's weight in gold if it falls into the right hands..."

Zoro nodded in understanding, grasping the seriousness of what she was doing. "Then why do it?"

Nami shrugged, finishing a note and setting the pencil down. She gazed into the fire, drawing her knees up and resting her chin on them. "Tradition...and well...I mean if we succeed in this crazy plan of Luffy's...if he becomes Pirate King and I map the world..." She started, a faraway look in her eyes, "Maybe, just maybe someday, someone will go on the same trip because they read this, and the more detail about places, the better."

Zoro stared at her, hearing unspoken volumes in her words, her dreams there, and had a realization. "You read a few..."

Nami smiled a little sadly, "Yeah but they were just local ones. About places in East Blue. I'd stolen them from a store room in the library."

Zoro chuckled a little. "Maybe some kid somewhere will go through that much trouble to get yours one day."

Her eyes moved to his and there was a hint of that dazzling smile. He reached and grabbed the bottle of rum, taking a long pull from it before passing it to her.

She took it without hesitation, drinking and he noticed her relax just the slightest bit. They were talking, drinking, this was familiar ground.

She let out a little laugh, startling him almost as she passed him the bottle. "You know, back when I read that book, I always dreamed of going on a wild adventure...who'd have thought that meeting a scrawny little kid would have kicked all this off?"

Zoro drank and shrugged, "I hear you...at some point though, somewhere at the beginning when I first met Luffy, I just knew though. I can't really explain it."

Nami nodded, glancing to him. "When I first saw you, I don't know...I wasn't sure if you were going to turn around and turn me into chop suey next or what...but then you did something that no one else ever did." She muttered.

"Yeah?" Zoro asked, seeing the slight smile on her face, as if she were remembering something fondly.

"I tried to sell your captain off and you saved me and asked me if I was ok..." She glanced away from him.

Zoro took a gamble and moved a bit closer to her, giving her a bit of a nudge, making her glance toward him.

"I knew you weren't all that bad. You put out a damn fuse with your hands to save him." He said, still remembering the disbelief at seeing her do that, the admiration he'd felt for her then.

"That was stupid..." Nami muttered, "And it didn't make me any less bad..."

Zoro reached out then, his hand brushing her cheek. Her eyes didn't meet his. There it was again, that self pity.

"It was stupid," He agreed, savoring the way her eyes snapped up to his indignantly, full of fire.

He smiled at her, moving closer, "But very brave and honorable. And someday I hope you can look at yourself and see what everyone else sees in you and realize that everything you've done and gone through, every storm you've survived has only made you stronger, that the twisted image you see in the mirror isn't what everyone else sees..." The words poured out of him, he wasn't sure where they'd come from but he'd spoken out his frustrations at seeing her struggle through the last few days, her attempts to isolate and distance herself.

He drew her in for a kiss, expecting her to shove him away, to lash out and stalk away. Instead he tasted her, the sweetness of her mouth, the tang of rum and something that surprised him as she melted into him.

Her tears.


	41. Magic

AN: I've hit 100 reviews with this story...that is the most I've ever gotten and I want to sincerely thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to leave such awesome reviews. Thank you thank you thank you! You guys are so awesome. :D

Plot will return next chapter, promise. I figured these two deserved a little break from the crazy... :)

Theme: Magic

Rating: M (Adult content warning this chapter. If that's not your think or you are under 18, be warned now.)

Words: 932

Chapter 41

Nami couldn't keep the tears at bay, and she felt like an idiot for it, but they streamed down her face despite her inner protests.

What was it about this man, that he could cut right down to the heart of the problem in a couple sentences when she needed weeks, months, years to puzzle herself out? How was it that he knew her so well and why was it that he even cared?

And here he was kissing her, despite it all he did care. And God, did she want to believe his words, believe everything he told her. Her mind was at war even now, even with his lips on hers. She wanted to push him away, tell him he was wrong about her, to go back to the way they'd been, just friends, nakama. This was so dangerous, this unexplored road they were heading down. If things went bad between them would it ever be the same again? Could they ever just look each other in the eye and forget what might have been? And what if it didn't go bad? Could she handle what that would mean for the future? Could she handle someone truly seeing all of her the good with the bad. It was frightening, terrifying...

She needed a sign, to make a decision. She felt his thumb, rough and calloused stroke over her cheek, wiping away the tears there, accepting them, soothing them away and she broke. Her doubts, her fears, they meant nothing. She wanted this, to savor it as long as it lasted, damn the consequences.

She felt him begin to draw back, probably from her lack of participation and her hands reached out pulling him back to her, her mouth moving over his in a rush, pouring herself into the kiss. She let herself feel...

What must have been minutes seemed to stretch into hours as she kissed him, her hands moving over his body, feeling his strength, his warmth. She let out a gasp, her half lidded eyes shutting as his mouth left hers, tracing her neck, his breath heavy in her ears.

At some point they were laying on the improvised sleeping mats they'd put together, her body was burning with desire, with want.

She needed him, more than anything else she'd ever needed in her life. She needed contact, to feel him, taste him.

His touches were growing more bold but he seemed to want to drag this out, take his time and she wouldn't accept that.

Taking matters into her own hands, she undid the button of his pants, pulling them down enough to reach her goal.

Zoro seemed to protest momentarily and her mouth silenced him, dragging him into a long heated kiss.

He was hard, he wanted her and she wasted no time in moving her hand around him, savoring his expression, the way he moved against her.

Time blurred, clothes were shed. Skin on skin, bodies slick with sweat in the humid night time air, Zoro moved over her and she wanted to keep her eyes closed, fearing what would happen if she opened them.

Curiosity won and she locked eyes with him, his eyes dark with desire, emotion.

Her heart was pounding so hard she thought it may burst, her breath barely seeming to supply her with enough oxygen. His body was pressed tightly to hers, even as he moved deep and strong inside her.

She watched him with fascination, with wonder. Her body was screaming for more, dying for it and every move he made seemed to push her toward something she wasn't sure she'd ever felt. It was if her very bones hummed with anticipation for it.

His hands moved over her breasts, his other moving over her thigh, coaxing her to wrap it more securely over his hip and her eyes rolled back at the motion of his hips, her breath nearly taken away. Her world lit up burning her up from the inside out it seemed, her vision fading to splashes of white light as her body shook. She didn't make a sound, stifling it, her face buried against the crook of his neck and his strong body moved against her, drawing the pleasure out.

Something magical had happened, something that she couldn't just attribute to pleasure. This was something else, something she feared she'd never experience again with anyone else. Not that she wanted to.

This man, this perpetually grumpy swordsman who was a thorn in her side more often than not, had awoken something that she thought long dead. He'd shown her pleasure, caring, compassion unlike anything she'd ever thought possible.

The amazing high she'd hit faded to a hum of pleasure and her vision cleared, her mouth moving over his for another slow burning kiss. She felt his movements, heard the hitch of his breath as he reached his peak as well. SHe moved against him, seeing his eyes close, feeling the tremors run through his body and she could only hope he'd felt what she had.

His content expression told her the answer, the way his arm moved around her to keep her there as he settled back.

She felt safe, warm, exhausted.

Her eyelids were growing heavy and she could see she wasn't alone. Both of them were spent, physically and emotionally.

A sleepy smile, a kiss...

It was so surreal, it had to have been a dream.

As she settled against the swordsman, as sleep began to tug her away, she only hoped if it was a dream, it'd be a reaccuring one.


	42. Seeking Solace

AN: Ok...so I promised plot again...but...that will have to wait...there will be plot, it's going to get very action packed very soon, promise but...one more chap of touchy feely stuff necessary for our fav couple. Sorry for the delays guys...holidays are kicking my ass, shopping, cookies, presents, etc...I'll try to be a bit more frequent. Keep those reviews coming folks!

THeme: Seeking Solace

Rating M

Words 701

Chapter 42

He awoke, feeling the early morning air, damp and cool against his exposed skin and yet he felt warm and comfortable. It had very little to do with the dying embers of the fire and almost everything to do with the redhead in his arms.

She lay against him, curled into him for warmth, her hands clutching onto him as if he were a lifeline, as if even in her subconscious, she was afraid what would happen if she let go. And maybe she was.

Last night had been more than just a roll in the hay or a tryst, it had been something much more, he was sure.

Nami was a strong woman, a woman of contradictions, a fiery temper, enough to terrify even the bravest of men, strong willed, stubborn, clever, quirky...

But under all that she was very much a woman formed by her past and all the tragedies that meant. And she was fragile...

Over the past year since she'd been on the crew she'd fought everyday, scared to death to let anyone too close, to let anyone see the true her. Time and time again something had reared up, something to reveal just a bit of that fragile side to her, and she'd fought it vehemently, resorting to lashing out, threatening debt or all out ignoring what had happened. Arlong Park, the incident with Shigi. Most of the crew saw past this, let Nami be.

Something had been different with Nami last night though, something had broken in her and it had been a long time coming. The wall she'd built around herself had finally cracked, showing the true her. And what Zoro had seen had been far more amazing than he'd ever could have imagined. What he'd seen had been Nami, pure and simple. There had been a sort of wonder in her face, an innocence as she had trusted him, as she'd touched and explored with him, the way she'd looked at him. Trust, all, her emotions laid bare.

Though the sun was beginning to rise Zoro couldn't find it in himself to move, to disturb Nami quite yet.

Eventually they needed to get moving, they needed to find a way out of this place. How they were going to manage that he wasn't sure. They still weren't sure if it was an island or an archipelago like Nami suspected, they still didn't really have a concrete plan of what they were going to do.

Zoro still held out hope that Luffy and the others were searching for them, that by some stroke of luck they'd find them and they could move on with their lives.

Reality told Zoro the odds of that happening were next to none. They'd have to find their own luck at this point.

All the signs pointed to the place having once been inhabited, maybe by rum runners, maybe by wildlife enthusiasts, marines even. At this point it didn't matter. He only hoped they could find a village, or better yet a functional boat.

Nami let out a sleepy sigh, curling closer against him, her bare skin soft and warm. He looked at her fondly, his hand moving over her bare hip as he watch her face, peaceful in sleep.

Something warm rose through his chest as he lay there with her in the dying light of the fire, as the sun rose.

Things wouldn't be the same between them after this, that much he was certain of. It would be rocky for sure, nothing easy about it, but it was something he was willing to take. To see that look on her face again, the same look she'd given him without realizing it last night, he'd walk through the fires of hell and back.

She'd give him some half assed excuse for sure, that it was only natural for two people to this sort of thing, to seek solace in this sort of a situation, or something similar. Or maybe she'd surprise him and accept what had happened. He wasn't sure.

He felt his eyelids growing heavy, drowsiness set in. The warmth lulling him back to sleep.

All he knew was he should enjoy this while it lasted.


	43. Two Roads

AN: Hey all, it's been a long time. Bet you're surprised right? Sorry about that. A lot going on here...health issues, school stuff with my son, life in general. Thank you all for your support and sticking with the story.

We're entering the final stretch here and I promise I'll do my best to get the final chapters up a bit faster. Hope you enjoy!

Theme: Two Roads

Rating: PG-13

Words: 1046

Chapter 43

It felt as if they'd been walking for weeks. In truth, it'd been two days. The weather had most definitely not been on their side, the elements making it harder on them than it had to be. By day the temperature soared to sweltering, the humidity seeming hell bent to suck the will to live from them.

At night, it was probably only a couple degrees above freezing, the humidity never diminished. It was if one was trying to breath in a wet blanket. The miserable conditions made fire and body heat essential to survival.

That's what Nami kept telling herself at least. It couldn't be anything more than that. It couldn't possibly be that she enjoyed it far more than she should. Curling up against Zoro at night, revelling in his warmth, the smooth play of muscle at her fingertips was nothing more than a pragmatic way of keeping warm. It was survival. If something more should happen between them that was normal too right? I mean they were only human.

She tried to ground her rationalizations in one of the articles she'd read in a magazine of Robin's. A renowned anthropologist in the article had stated that humans were little more than tamed animals and much of what they did was still instinctual and based on evolution.

The truth of the matter was that she'd hardly spoken to Zoro more than necessary these past few days. And Zoro wasn't much of a conversationalist. She hadn't missed the prying looks from him though. Moments where he seemed to be trying to decipher her, read her.

She wasn't sure she could even find the words. There was something much deeper between them than she could begin to fathom, that much she'd realized when she dug past all of the rationalizations and half truths her mind could conjour. There was something there that she was terrified of.

There had always been some sort of connection between them, since Arlong Park at least, possibly before then. It was if one look between them could say more than a conversation. As if they were on the same wavelength more often than not.

Then why was this all so damn difficult?

She knew he had his own doubts and worries without him having to say a word. She knew him so well that there was a lot he'd held back in saying.

She could guess that his worries lay more in crew dynamics, loyalties and the future where her's...her's lay more on the past. The old demons calling out from beyond the walls she'd built to keep them caged.

As they moved through the thick under brush of the Nami half heartedly swiped at the branches and vines in her way, her forehead furrowed in concentration, the inner debate still going strong and showing no signs of a decision any time soon.

Almost as if he'd sensed that her mind was elsewhere, Zoro turned to check what the hold up was.

Nami could see the slight annoyance on his face, the same as in Skypeia when she hadn't been able to keep up time and time again. His forehead and upper body glistened with sweat. The sight sent a tingle through her body at how attractive he looked and she felt her cheeks flush at their own accord when the image of those same muscles moving over her flashed through her mind. She mentally slapped herself, shaking the images away.

It occurred to her, though it was almost unbearably hot and humid, that they'd only been underway for less than an hour and Zoro looked as though he'd run a marathon, that he most certainly wasn't at a hundred percent yet.

At some point she realized she must have been staring at him, that her face had probably just run the gamut of emotions. She noted the slightly confused look on his face before he shook his head, turning and contuing on.

Slightly embarrassed, she followed after, not finding it any easier to break the silence.

Their footsteps and the occasional curse when one or the other snagged a branch or caught a foot on a vine were the only sounds aside from the indigenous wildlife all around them.

She nearly ran into Zoro when he suddenly stopped and was about to snap at him when she saw two paths before them in the under brush.

It was only when Zoro glanced at here and asked, "Which way?" that she realized that perhaps she wasn't as confused as she'd originally thought.

Something happened to her in that moment, all illogical, self deprecating thoughts died down at the trust he put in that question.

The stubborn proud swordsman more often than not chose his own way, despite having the worst sense of direction imaginable. Yet in this situation, this circumstance he put the choice in her hands, deciding not to leave things up to fate and luck.

For the first time since she could remember, she felt calm, in her element...she felt almost at piece. Taking a moment to get her bearings she moved beside him.

"Left takes us back toward the coast and right leads further inland. I think..." She hesitated for a moment, another doubt coming to mind, one she didn't want to consider.

"You think?" He asked.

"I think we should head back toward the coast. If the others are still looking..."

The glance he sent her was was as if he understood what she didn't want to say.

"Then we head toward the coast. At some point they're going to figure out where we are. I mean who the hell do they have navigating the ship? Luffy?"

Nami started to laugh, tears gathering in her eyes. The comment caught her off guard and she wasn't sure it was meant to be funny but it was.

She saw Zoro crack a grin and the tension between them seemed to ebb away.

Wiping her eyes, she nodded to him. "Let's go then."

She started to laugh again as Zoro predictably started to take the right path instead of the left and reached out to grab his hand.

"Hey Zoro, that way." She teased.

He scowled at her but felt him squeeze her hand as they started down the path.


	44. Abandoned

Theme #38 Abandoned

Words 2032

Rating M (There be lemon here...all ye under 18 go away :) )

Chapter 44 Abandoned

The sound of the chart hitting the table and its subsequent unrolling were practically deafening in the silence of the usually noisy dining area.

Franky's usually calm, happy features loomed over the assembled Strawhats sternly.

"Look, we need to pull it together here you guys." He said in a matter of fact tone. "We've been searching island after island and come up with nothing. There aren't that many more here and we need to find Nami sis and Swords-bro and get out of here. We've been waistin' WAY too much time."

"Wasting time?!" Luffy huffed in frustration, jumping to his feet, his fist hitting the table, rattling dishes and earning a warning glare from the chef. "We've been searching for like EVER!" He wined.

"Except you and Usopp and Chopper run off every island and go on some wacky adventure and forget that two hours actually means two hours..." Sanji muttered around his cigarette as he arranged coffee, tea and snacks on the table, straightening the rattled dishes.

"Exactly!" Franky said with a grateful look that went largely ignored by the irritated cook.

"Hey, hold on here, we were actually looking, and Chopper gathered medical supplies." Usopp said in defence.

"AND Robin got to go to some library on that one island..." Luffy pointed out accusingly. "And she got to dress up and everything..."

"I only went there, in disguise mind you, because we needed the very chart that you are looking at. Nami's charts are largely absent for these waters and we needed something a little more detailed. With this chart and Brook's memories, we have all the information we need." Robin pointed out, pouring herself some coffee.

The stern look that Franky had struggled to maintain was wavering and he glanced towards Robin.

"That doesn't explain the costume." Luffy huffed, pouting.

With seemingly unending patience, Robin gave a slight smile as she stirred her coffee. "The library was on a Marine base." She said simply, almost seeming to bask in the looks of realization she got from the crew.

"I think what Franky is saying is that we need to find them. We've been spotting strange ships off our bow for days now, mostly at night and I am starting to think that we aren't the only ones searching. Something went down on that island where they escaped from and I for one would like to be the ones to find them first." Robin continued giving a glance to Luffy.

He nodded sheepishly and glanced to the chart. "But where could they be? I mean there are a LOT of dots on that map..."

A bony hand moved over the chart as their musician stepped forward. "If you'll look, we put a slight mark next to the islands that we've been to...which leaves us with 3 more in total and this one...which is the largest. The main part of the island connects via an isthmus to a much larger island."

He let the news settle over the crew, all of which were looking less hopeful by the moment.

"That's a lot to cover..." Sanji muttered, "And it's been over a week...not that they've though we've just sailed on."

"Don't be stupid." Luffy snapped, "The wouldn't just think we left them!"

"I think we all should calm down..." Brook said diplomatically, seeming a bit spooked by the sudden vehemence in their usually cheerful Captain's voice.

"Before you get all riled up Strawhat, Robin and I have taken a look at the report about that storm..." Franky pointed out, holding up an official looking folder with the Marine emblem on it.

"Where'd that come from?" Sanji asked, surprised

"I have my ways." Robin said mysteriously, watching as Sanji cooed and spouted his usual flowery nonsense, the desired effect instead of questions. "The point is, we were able to track where the winds were blowing and how the currents were effected, and although we aren't as well versed as Nami in such things, our best bet is these two islands."

"What are we waiting for then?" Chopper asked with excitement.

"A plan." Franky answered. "The one is pretty small and we can scout it in a couple hours. The other is the big place that Brook was ta-kin' about. There's about a day travel time between the two..."

"Then we'll check the little one out, and Coup de burst, get to the big one as fast as we can. We'll find them!" Luffy said with finality.

"He makes it sound so easy..." Franky muttered.

"Those Captain's orders?" Sanji asked.

"You bet. Let's go."

"You heard the man, we've done enough sitting around. Grab a bite and get your asses out there!" Sanji barked out, watching the Strawhats scrabble for what they could grab and hit the deck.

The fire crackled in front of them, warming the chill that had fallen over the coast. Clouds were piling up on the horizon, dropping the temperature.

The waves were coming in down the beach with a dull roar and Nami watched them sullenly. She'd always loved watching the waves, the sense of freedom that it gave her, but right now all she could feel was sadness. Almost grief, so bad her chest seemed to hurt.

She shifted, drawing her knees up under her chin and fought back the urge to cry.

"I think they've forgotten us..." She said, barely above a whisper. "They should have been here by now..."

The sound of a stone moving over steel was somehow comforting in the silence.

"Nah. They probably got distracted by something but Luffy'd never give up on us." Zoro said with certainty.

"Says you."

She could practically feel Zoro's gaze bore into her and turned, seeing the expression he gave her. The determination, the absolute faith in Luffy written all over his features, him practically daring her to say otherwise.

"If he wasn't willing to have you with him, he would have left you at Arlong Park. We risked our lives at Enies Lobby and declared war on the World Government to get one of our own back. You think he'd leave us?"

Nami had to glance away, knowing Zoro was right. But still, she couldn't help but feel that sting of doubt, the grief of possible abandonment.

She finally let the tears spill over, tired of holding them back. They were tears of anger, of frustration and damn him if he thought less of her for showing them.

"Yeah well, what if something happened cause we weren't there? What if that storm did them in? You think I could live with that? What happened if they got lost and hit a reef cause I wasn't there?" She got to her feet in a huff even as Zoro continued to work on his swords with an improvised whetstone. She knew he was listening.

She rounded on him, "I mean how would you feel if that samurai guy came out of nowhere and chopped the ship in half cause you weren't there to block it right? I mean there are a MILLION scenarios I can think of..."

His gaze snapped to hers, intense as always. "You think I can't think of the same? I know what could have happened, but I also know that Luffy wouldn't give up. If there's a single breath left in his body he'll use it to find us."

Nami stopped in her tracks and reluctantly nodded. "I guess your right..." It took a lot for her to admit it, to push down her pride, her thoughts and she took a seat next to him watching as he finished with Wado, examining the blade in the firelight.

He seemed satisfied with the results and sheathed the blade, setting all three beside him and leaning back on the improvised mats they'd made, his arms behind his head, seeming relaxed to all the world. She knew well enough that every fiber in his being was on edge, that he was far from relaxed.

The firelight flickered over his features, over the muscles that she'd always admired and just recently become acquainted with. The faint yellowing and faded blue as well as the irregular tension if one looked just hard enough showed though, that the recent situation had been far from helpful. In fact, she was more than willing to bet that he was still more than suffering from what had happened on Thriller Bark, that half of what she noted was from that rather than the past few days. There was something sobering in that, something that made her quite going over and over the same thoughts, that brought her self pity to a grinding halt. She moved to sit behind him, seeing his eyes crack open for a moment to follow her movement before he seemed to relax a bit more.

Her hands moved to shift his head into her lap, so that she had access to his shoulders and neck, beginning to massage them. She felt his muscles tense and the groan he tried to bite back.

"Shhh...relax..."

"Trying..." He muttered. And he was. There was so much tension there though, like he was trying to hold up the world, like Atlas from the legends. And yet in a way, she figured there was some truth to that. He did all he could to hold up the crew when the others couldn't. Thriller Bark, whatever had transpired there had proven that.

Her hands tried to work and loosen the knots and tension from the layers of muscle she felt there on his shoulders. "Geez, your tense.."

She got a grunt in response. It was almost mesmerizing working over the muscles. At some point she'd gotten him to lay on the mat, on his stomach. It might have been minutes or hours but at some point he lay beneath her completely relaxed, at her mercy as she worked the tension out of his body.

She worked carefully , not quite sure what the extent of his injuries were, avoiding the lines on his back from Liloquois, the lashes he'd taken for her, the unevenness in some areas of his spine and ribs were also treated with care.

And yet there was something so intimate about the trust there, the closeness she had to this man. It was like a map, full of forbidden areas, mysteries, places she felt the need to explore.

Her hands were starting to ache and she gave his shoulders one last squeeze, thinking he must have been asleep in this relaxed state and eased back from him, only to be surprised by him shifting, sitting up and turning to her.

His lips on hers stunned her, the hunger behind the kiss more so. They hadn't quite settled things between them, but she'd given up trying to rationalize it away. She was at the point where she was willing to let things take its course. If it was a whirlwind of a storm that lost its power after a certain point, she was certain that it would leave fond memories and no hard feelings.

She felt though there was something more than that, something that hit with all the rage of a hurricane but lasted much longer.

She kissed him back with all she had, meeting his hungry lips, their hands moving over eachother. Scraps of clothing were shed where necessary and she felt him push into her.

She felt whole, complete and moved against him, giving all she could until her world exploded, her body numb and tingling, her mind a wild jumble of colors and pleasure.

A while later all she could remember was heat, warmth and pleasure and that was fine with her as she curled against an equally panting and spent Zoro. The firelight played across his features and he glanced to her, that half smile she loved so much gracing his features before he predictably started snoring.

She could only feel amusement as she lay next to him.

Above them, the stars glittered brightly and she could only hope that Luffy and the others were under the same stars and on their way.

Zoro was right. Luffy wouldn't give up hope.

She shouldn't abandon it either.


	45. Trouble Lurking

Theme #25 Trouble Lurking

Words: 2426

Rating: M

Chapter 45

They kept moving just beyond the beach, keeping just beyond the tree line where the terrain was a little easier but where they still had a good view of the shoreline.

Nami seemed in much better spirits, that fire and determination of hers back in full force as she led the way. Where to, he wasn't quite sure. To be honest he was sick of wandering aimlessly and waiting around. She seemed determined, seemed to have a goal in mind, and if that was the case, it was fine by him.

While he was keenly aware of his surroundings, in tune with every snap of every branch, the sound of the waves, Nami taking the lead gave him time to think things through. A lot had happened in a very short period of time and he found it exhausting to wade through it. He'd been so damn focused on helping Nami stay strong, on following his instincts, on just getting through the past days, he hadn't put very much thought into it all.

They'd taken a leap, from friends and crew mates to something more than that. Something he found he'd never really considered. Women had certainly never been a focus for him, he wasn't like Sanji where he chased and flirted with everything in a skirt.

He'd focused on his goals, on his dream and if he were to cross paths with an attractive woman on the way for the night then so be it.

He enjoyed Nami's company though, and more than just as a crew mate, a friend. He loved the way she looked at him, the way she smiled just for him. Those quiet moments they'd shared between the pain, stress and horror, where she was curled up next to him in the night...he found he wished it were always so. To see her so content, to feel the wisps of her hair, her soft breath on his skin.

He also knew Nami was as torn as he was on the whole thing. Which had him struggling to find a way to bring it up. Talking about this sort of thing was certainly not his strong point. It was now or never though he figured.

Maybe it was something in the air, maybe just the realization that nothing had happened to them for a while had him thinking that their luck would run out eventually.

Perhaps it was about time to clear the air so to speak before they got out of here, to have a decision between them.

They walked a bit further before they came to the base of a hill, the forest rising up above the coast in a natural cliff. He realized then that Nami was leading them to high ground that would give them a vantage point for the whole island as well as the waters around them.

Moving toward a fallen log, Zoro took a seat and grabbed the improvised canteen they'd made, taking a drink. It didn't take Nami long to realize he'd stopped.

With a look of amusement she moved toward the log and took a seat. "You taking a break? Am I moving too fast for you?" She teased.

Zoro fought to the urge to roll his eyes. "Yeah, sure." He dead panned. Glancing around he finally turned to focus on her and the smile faded, seeing his serious expression.

She arched a brow. "What is it?"

"Look...When I set out with Luffy, I did it because it seemed like the best chance I had to work toward my dream. Call it fate or whatever but when that crazy kid took on the Marines to bust me out...I knew it'd never be boring and I knew I'd face challenges and get stronger." Zoro started.

Nami nodded with a wry smile, "And it hasn't been boring."

"Yeah." Zoro agreed, "But I also made it clear that nothing would deter me from my dream." He focussed on the waves in the distance, barely visible through the trees. "Priorities have changed a little. Although nothings going to keep me from my dream, as long as I'm still breathing, I swore my loyalty to Luffy, to the crew. And his dream, everyone on the crew, that counts for something too. More than my own maybe. That being said, personal feelings, fighting...we've seen how that can threaten everything..."

Nami nodded, starting to get a feel where this conversation was heading. She too gazed off into the distance and despite herself, her anxieties and insecurities were beginning to creep up. "I have my own dream you know and despite having my own goals in the beginning, the crew means everything to me now. And I'll be damned if Luffy doesn't get to where he needs to because of something I did, because of feelings or whatever..." The last part came out in a rush and she seemed rather embarrassed by it. He could see her internal struggle with her emotions.

"That being said," Zoro continued, rather awkwardly. He definitely wasn't going to win any points in a smooth delivery here. He'd be lucky to not piss her off or stick his own foot in his mouth.

Sighing, he continued, "Look, I didn't even expect to make friends honestly, but I have, I mean hell, the whole crew, we're practically a family and I'd be willing to lay down my life for anyone of them and I'm sure you feel the same."

Nami gave a small nod of agreement, encouraging him that they were on the same page here.

"We've been friends, since the beginning practically...as much as we fight and disagree. And well...I mean what's happened between us, I think it was only a matter of time and...damnit..."

Zoro rubbed the back of his neck, cursing himself all the while at his fumbling attempts to find the words he needed.

To his surprise Nami looked up, abandoning the stick she'd been fidgeting with and made eye contact.

"The question is, was it only the situation. I mean once we get back to the ship is it back to the way it was or..." She trailed off.

Zoro let out a breath, "Honestly? I think the situation pushed us together faster than it might have happened otherwise but...I've been trying to sort through how I feel about you for a long time." He admitted, feeling like a weight had been lifted at just admitting it.

Nami blinked in surprise, her face breaking into the most dazzling smile he'd seen from her in a while. "Really?" There was a teasing glint there he knew well enough, that she was moments away from poking fun at him.

This time he did roll his eyes, feeling a little annoyed that he'd just admitted something and she wanted to make light of it. "Look I mean if you don't feel the same, let me know..."

She seemed to recognize that edge to his voice moved closer. "It's just that I kinda guessed you know, that you liked me, but you know...the same old stuff kept getting in the way and I thought that you'd blow me off or something if I made a move." She admitted.

"Cause you know...I've kind of liked you for a while and stuff." Her cheeks colored a bit with her admission and he couldn't help but smile.

"So we give this a try. As long as it works right?"

Nami nodded almost shyly and he pulled her in for a short kiss before getting to his feet.

"We're losing daylight. I'm guessing you wanted to go up to the top of the mountain here and get a look around?"

Nami nodded, "I think that'll be best. And we can decide from there..."

They shared a glance and started up the hill, both of them feeling better about the situation.

^!^!^!

The heart to heart in the dining area the day before had brought results. They'd arrived at the smaller island on the chart and Luffy had led a tireless search, leaving no rock unturned. To their disappointment they'd found nothing other than water and food to stock their reserves.

It should have cheered the Captain but he was in a somber mood. Quiet, on edge. He sat on the figure head, staring tirelessly at the waves as they sailed to the larger island. They weren't that far anymore although there was no land in sight.

Suddenly the Captain leapt to his feet, pointing wildly in the distance. "Smoke!"

Robin had been on the deck, reading over what they had, searching for something she'd overlooked and moved quickly to the railing, Usopp not far behind.

There was a dark smudge on the horizon, still miles away.

The Sniper pulled his goggles down, adjusting and readjusting to focus them. "It's still a long way off, but my guess is that there's an island there, maybe a town. There's more than just one plume of smoke..." He told them. "Thick black smoke...like stuff intentionally lit on fire..."

"An attack?" Robin speculated.

Before Luffy could answer, he heard Sanji call down from the lookout. "Luffy, there's someone on the Transponder Snail...you need to take this."

In a blur, Luffy made his way to Sanji, who'd just come down from the lookout. He seemed worried. "You saw the smoke right? There's a lot of it, just on the horizon.

Usopp nodded as Luffy took the Snail.

"Who's there?" Luffy asked carefully,

"It's me kid, no need to play the careful stuff, we've already spotted you off our starboard bow."

Garp's voice came over the Snail, the snail's expression changing to match.

"Wha?" Luffy asked surprised.

"Look, I have a lot going on here and people are going to be looking where I've run off to here shortly. You're sailing to the island ahead but you need to change course and go around the west end of the island. The marines have just gotten word that an entire city's been wiped off the map and judging by the smoke we're seeing there might be something to that."

"An entire city?" Robin asked

"Just gone or what?" Usopp added.

"I know you're searching for your friends but I'm leading a fleet straight toward where you are. High tail it around the island from the west. I'll do my best to keep an eye out but if you run into any Marines here I can't guarantee I won't have to take you in. Understand?"

"Understood. Any idea who would have attacked a city?" Luffy asked.

"You aren't privy to that information but let me just say that it is in connection to someone who did your friends a bad deed and judging by the fleet he snuck in there, something like an all out attack is likely and leave it at that. Garp out."

The sudden disconnect of the snail startled Luffy and he stood there trying to digest the information.

"Liloquois then." Sanji muttered, lighting a cigarette. "But why would he attack a city?"

"Because we're on the right track." Robin said quietly, looking solemnly toward Luffy.

Luffy gave a nod and called out a course change to Brook and Franky who were at the helm. They seemed a little bewildered by the sudden order but complied without hesitation.

"Usopp, take Franky and make sure all the weapons are tip top. Robin, stay here on deck with me. Sanji, go and help Chopper make sure we pack a bunch of medical stuff. There might be more people hurt than we thought."

All except Robin rushed off to do what Luffy had said.

Luffy continued to focus on the smoke ahead. "I have a feeling whatever happened there is bad." He muttered quietly.

Robin nodded, trying not to focus on what was to come, to block the thoughts that crept up from seeing the thick black plumes.

"You saw the island. We need a plan. We need to get to that city as quick as we can..."

"I'll let them know where to stear the ship to, and then we'll cross over to the town, the direct route isn't safe as your Grandfather said."

"Alright." Luffy said in approval. She saw him glance sidelong at her, as if gauging her expression. "We need you on this."

It finally occurred to her what it was that Luffy was doing. Due to her past he was worried that her seeing a town decimated from the sea would brink back memories, and while it did, she was able to focus on the mission at hand.

"I've had a long time to accept my past. I won't let you down. Finding Nami and Zoro is what matters." Robin assured him.

Luffy smiled slightly before his gaze once again settled on the horizon. "Good to hear."

^!^!^!^!^^!

The trek up the mountain had been tiring, the humidity and steep incline leaving them both feeling drained.

It was forgotten though as soon as they got a good look around, along with any good mood they may have had.

On the other side of the mountain, an area they hadn't explored appeared to be a small city. A fishing town perhaps with a harbor.

A harbor full of ships that seemed determined to hit any structure still standing.

"Oh my God..." Nami gasped, seeing a building hit by another blast and go up in a fireball. Already half the city was burning, the dark plumes of smoke rising high into the sky.

Zoro's hand went to the hilt of his swords and he looked around, trying to find the path of least resistance that would take them to the town the quickest.

"Oh no...we aren't going to just rush down there with mortars flying around. Are you crazy?!" Nami asked.

"We can't just stay here and watch!"

"What if it's the Marines?! Oh my God..all the people..."

Zoro had already seen that the ships weren't Naval ships. In fact he was almost certain he recognized the flags the ships bore.

"It's not."

In her panicked state, Nami hadn't taken the time to soak in the details, she seemed more devastated my the destruction and possible loss of life that meant.

Before he could try and convince her that they should go and check it out at least sounds filled the air around them.

Howling, scratching, like something from a nightmare.

He drew his swords, slashing the shadowy figures that appeared around them, feeling a sense of de ja vous.

He fought, lashing out and heard Nami's blood curling scream.

And then there was nothing.


	46. No Time

AN: I've updated the last few chapters fairly quickly, which is a big thing for me lately. I apologize to my readers.

I've had some significant health setbacks the past few months, that combined with the school problems my son has had equals very little time and energy to write. The mind is willing but the body...I've been trying to channel my inner Zoro here...really... To my faithful readers, I apologize :(

I also apologize if the quality of my writing seems rushed or less rich than usual. It's been realized and I am working on it...promise.

That said, please read and review. You all have NO idea what sort of high I get reading your input...it makes my day...really :) Constructive criticism, comments on OOCness...all of that is always welcome.

Theme: No Time # 26

Words 1700

Rating: M. This chapter contains graphic imagery and content. Please be advised. The last thing I want is to trigger someone or be responsible for traumatizing someone. As a US military veteran I understand even the littlest thing can trigger some big consequences. Viewer discretion advised. Thanks...

I know it was a cliffie last time around...this time around is from Zoro's POV...enjoy!

Chapter 46 No Time

As he walked, ashes flew around him, coating him, smearing him with soot. It was everywhere, unavoidable. It clung to him, like a second filthy skin, making him feel disgusting, tarnished. More so than the blood and grit that already coated him.

Flames glowed brightly, in all their glory on either side of him as he walked down what must have once been a neatly groomed boulevard. Perhaps a shopping district. It was hard to tell with the rubble and flames.

He walked aimlessly, without really a rhyme or reason other than that he knew he was moving away from the coast.

It was quiet, eerily so. The ships that had bombarded the town had since left. He wasn't sure whether that was a good omen or a bad.

He paused only a moment, using the last of his water ration to try and wash the grit out of his eyes. It was really a lost cause and would only bring him so far. His right eye cleared but his left remained hopelessly blurry.

Every step he took, his breath burned in his chest, with every minute movement. He moved though with single minded determination. He had to find her. There was no other option.

He could only curse himself for the predicament they were in. If only he'd been more aware, if he'd been stronger, they would have never been separated.

As he walked he hazily thought back.

He was awake, or at least he thought he was. It was pitch black and he felt weighed down. Something was partially pinning him, to the point where he was claustrophobic. If he didn't know any better it almost felt as if he were weighed down by arms and legs. Reaching out with his hands brought him to a more puzzling conclusion. He swore he could feel faces, cold and unmoving. Statues maybe, puppets? What sort of trick was this?

Moving his body Zoro managed to almost swim through whatever it was, his hand finally contacting air, fresh cool air, and rain.

Struggling, he moved his limbs, determined to claw himself into fresh air. The first oddity that struck him was that the rain that fell was black. On closer inspection a sooty gray. Ashes. Shakily he made his way to his feet, hand instinctively feeling for his swords. Before he could take a look around or think a building near him exploded. He heard the initial boom of the explosion as he was thrown face first back into whatever he'd just crawled out of. He could feel the shock waves running through the air and ground but they were soundless, only his heart beat in his ears and a high pitched tone that refused to fade.

Reaching up shakily he tried to wipe his eyes and at least prop himself up. His vision cleared and he startled. He was face to face with two startlingly blue eyes that peered lifelessly up and away from him. The face was ashen and sooty, the features nearly doll like. It was a little girl, probably no more that 5 or 6. Scrambling to get his limbs underneath him despite the shock and nausea running through him he finally got a good look around.

Rubble. As far as the eye could see was rubble. The feeling of nausea intensified as he saw where he'd crawled out of. There were probably hundreds of people there, thrown haphazardly into a pile. All of them lifeless.

His limbs felt as if they were made of jello as he fought his way out of the debris field, not caring where he really went as long as it was away.

He made it to the edge and took a few deep calming breaths, fighting to urge to vomit with every one of them.

Mustering what resolve he had, he took another look. It was a mass grave, there was no doubt about it. The injuries and the way the people lay there was too neat to just be the product of a collapsed building. There'd been people here. This had been a massecure.

Fires still burned around him as walked, looking for anything, any sign of movement any clue that would bring him further.

A gust of wind blew around him, whipping up more dirt and debris and he heard what sounded like a scuffle of a foot.

Instantly on alert he turned, a sword halfway drawn when he heard a voice, so soft he nearly thought he was hearing things and he reached up to wipe at his eyes when he thought he saw a small figure before him.

The voice came again, sending a chill down his spine. It was louder this time, although just as soft and all too familar. "Zoro?"

Blinking he could make out the small girls form standing before him. The pale skin and dark hair. Her skin was too pale really, deathly white but it was unmistakable all the same.

"Kuina?" His voice came out as a harsh bark.

The girl smiled as she approached him and he could see the blood, brilliant against her pale skin.

Without thinking he approached her. "Your head.."

"I know." She replied in that same soft whisper. "It's all your fault you know." She said, as if chastising a child.

He was still in disbelief that she could even be standing in front of him in the first place and her words struck him like a sword through the heart, stilling him in his tracks. All at once he was that same mourning, angry confused child he'd been all those years ago. The emotional wounds he thought long healed seemed to open all at once as he dropped to his knees in front of her, reaching for her.

She seemed just out of reach no matter what he did to try and prove she was real.

"I...It was an accident. I mean how was I supposed to know..." He stuttered.

There was a giggle, almost condescending, as if mocking him. "Of course you didn't think. You never did. It was always all about you and your silly pride right?"

"That's not it at all. I mean maybe it was back then but..." He did his best to try and take a steadying breath in the caustic, ash filled air, his hand moving to the hilt of Wado Ichimonji as if in reassurance.

Her eyes moved to his hand and she tossed her hair back, revealing the extent of the blood. His eyes froze on her, in horror and she shook her head.

"You think that somehow by taking my sword and trying to fulfil a silly dream I had you can somehow make it up to me?" She asked him, seeming to move closer.

"It's what you would have wanted." It seemed pathetic, trivial saying it out loud and for the first time in a long time his determination, his will wavered as her dark eyes locked on him.

"Maybe, but now here I am, dead. And so are you..." Her hand reached over, caressing his hair almost playfully. "Sleep..." She soothed.

His eyelids started to droop. Sleep sounded good. No more responsibilities, no more pain...

A flash of orange moved through his mind, as if reminding him of something and for a second the buzzing in his ears grew louder.

A shrill hoarse cry rang through the air and he startled, his eyes snapping open to see the figure fade from Kuina to something shadowy with fangs open wide, intent on probably devouring him.

Shaking the last vestiges of fatigue, shock and sorrow, he drew a sword and ran the figure threw, hearing its unearthly roar as it shattered and blew away with the ash.

He felt sick, the emotional roller coaster still reaking havoc with him. The cry rang out again and he recognized the pitch of it anywhere.

"Nami!" He shouted, coughing as the soot tried to coat his lungs with each inhalation.

"Zoro!" Her voice wasn't too far away, and as equally choked as his. His legs moved as he hurried, trying to find where she was. It wasn't necessarily easy given the amount of half broken buildings and rubble laying around.

She called out again, sounding panicked almost.

There it was, that flash of orange but this time real. In a small clearing between buildings was Nami, chained at the wrists to what had once been a fountain. She seemed desperate to get out of the chains and was scratched and dirty but seemed otherwise ok.

She watched warily as approached, and her face was tear streaked, eyes haunted. "How do I know you're real?"

It made sense. She'd seen something similar to what he had.

"Hold up the chains so I don't cut you. You might be a pain in the ass sometimes but Luffy'd never forgive me."

The smile was slow to bloom but it lit up her whole face as she held what she could of the chain up. With a single slash that rang out through the stillness, Nami was free and on her feet.

"We need to go, there's no time!" She said, grabbing onto his hand and making for the coast.

"What?" He asked barely having enough time to sheath the sword and keep up with her.

"There's just rubble that way..." And bodies. He didn't say it though. Digging his feet in, it forced her to stop for a moment, her wild expression told him she was on the verge of panic.

"Those shadow things. I saw more of them and I heard part of the plan.." She spoke a mile a minute and he had to slow her down.

"They're going to be back to finish this you know." She told him.

"Yeah but there's nothing but rubble this way." Zoro reiterated.

She glanced in the direction indicated and seemed to squint. The wind was blowing clearing the smoke at intervals. Suddenly she pointed, toward the ocean, her face lighting up. "There!" She waved wildly.

It took him a minute but then he saw it through the smoke. A tell tale mast and sail he never thought he'd see again.

The Thousand Sunny.


	47. Misfortune

Chapter 47  
Theme Misfortune  
Words: 1418

AN: Thanks to all who've stuck by this story despite the long hiatus. I've had a terrible case of writer's block and I had kind of lost hope that I could write myself out of it. But I did!   
Thanks for all the support and the wonderful reviews. Keep them coming, let me know if this lives up to the wait time for it! I love hearing from you guys :) Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and Happy New Year and enjoy!

^%^%^%

There was no time to plan. Nami and Zoro took a quick glance at eachother and made a dash for the shore. With the Sunny so close, they both seemed to have the same thing in mind, they could make it if they swam for it. 

The Sunny seemed to have taken position as close to shore as the large size allowed for it. Nami could almost bet it was just beyond the drop off of the coast.

Nami ran, her lungs aching with each breath, her eyes stinging from the amount of smoke in the air. The Sunny was only visible when the wind blew the thick smoke away, though it was enough for her to get a line of sight on it. The only thing she had to worry about was that Zoro wouldn't get lost swimming.

In that moment she realized she no longer heard his boot steps behind her and skidded to a stop, about ready to lash out at the swordsman for picking now of all times to veer off. She realized then tunnel vision had gotten the best of her. She hadn't even seen the small boats on the shore. It only made sense that Liloquois' men were still on the island.

Zoro stood, surrounded by a motley assortment of crew members, some of them she recognized, others not and her stomach clenched. 

Damnit, they were so close! They didn't have time for this. Her mind moved a hundred miles an hour as she tried to think of a way they could get out of the situation they were in. Zoro was good, but the odds were against him because of the sheer numbers alone. As blades began to clash, she caught a glimpse of something through the smoke and her heart began to pound. It couldn't be that easy right? 

There, not even 500 meters off the Sunny was Liloquois' ship. It was too far away to see anything but she could just about bet that Luffy and the others were getting ready to put up a fight. Her mind sorted through the possible options.

If she could only figure out a way to get to the ship in the fastest way possible....

The idea hit her like a thunderbolt and she raced towards Zoro.

"STOP!" She yelled, waving her arms. "Stop!"

Liloquois' crew seemed dumbfounded to see her race from the shore and jump in front of the swordsman, who'd been single handedly striking down their crew members left and right.

Zoro's sword stilled as Nami jumped between him and his next victim. She felt the breeze as the steel stopped somewhere above her head.

"Are you insane?!" Zoro demanded.

Beaming at him, only seeming to confirm his theory, she tossed him a wink. "I've got a plan." She mouthed.   
Turning from him she could only hope he'd play along.

Giving her sweetest smile to the dumbfounded group of lowlifes Liloquois called his crew, she uttered a single word, evoking snarls and growls of detest.

"Parlay."

^*^*^*^*^

"Luffy!" Sanji yelled from the helm. "They're on our starboard side! Seems like they've dropped anchor."

Luffy raced over to the railing to get a look, Usopp at his heels. 

"They've got more cannons than us but each one packs less fire power...." Usopp muttered, getting a good look at the ship that had practically parked on their proverbial doorstep.

"Think they're gonna open fire or they just showin' off the goods to get us rattled?" Franky muttered joining them.

Luffy shrugged, his face concentrated yet calm. He seemed to be taking in the ship as if examining a landscape. The grin that formed was the same as when they approached an island.

"Drop anchor and see what they do...I mean, they're either gonna sit there or not. No one fire a shot." Luffy said at last.

Chopper and Robin had loaded the last of the supplies on deck that they'd gathered. They had been planning to approach the island.

"Guess the plans have changed." Robin said, shading her eyes to get a look at the ship across from them.

"That's a big ship. Lot's of cannons...scary..." Chopper muttered wide eyed, inching closer to Robin.

"They seem to be loading the cannons!" Brook called from the crow's nest.

"Then do the same!" Luffy called, watching as Usopp and Franky moved into action.

His grin widened. "Battle stations."

~^~^~^~^~

The immense clouds of rolling smoke coming off the distant island were hard to miss. Despite the tragedy that Garp knew had occurred there, the smoke was absolutely perfect.

He’d had a plan in mind and the smoke provided the unexpected yet perfect cover he needed to put it into motion.   
Moving from the helm, he grabbed his mug from where he’d left it and took a swig as he first officer approached. The man snapped off a smart yet overly stiff salute that showed Garp how green around the gills the officer really was.

“Admiral, sir. We’re approaching the island but the helmsman has informed me that we need to cut down our speed due to visibility…eh…frankly, there is no visibility sir….” The nervous man stuttered.

Before Garp could answer, another Marine, a corporal this time, approached at a full run, panting and snapping a quick salute in both the first officer and Garp.

“Admiral! Two ships spotted off the coast, about 2 nautical miles from here! No flag on the one confirmed but the other is the Strawhat ship for sure!”

Garp leaned back casually, sipping from his mug as he regarded the two men. Both seemed anxious. 

“Has the lookout been able to spot the source of the smoke?” Garp asked. 

“It seems as if someone attacked the town. It’s thought that a refinery went up in the attack…”

Garp gave a nod. “That’ll do it. Full stop and drop anchor.” He waved the corporal off, allowing him to return to his duties.

“But sir…” The first officer, Johanson, started. Garp held up a hand disarming the man even more with his grin.

“You heard me.”

As Johanson ran to relay the commands to the helmsman on duty, Garp gazed across the water, through the smoke.

Yup, this would work nicely.

^&^&^&^&^&^&^&

Nami grunted in protest as the binds were tied around her hands tightly. Roughly, she was thrown to her knees in the sand.

“Hey watch it assholes. Parlay states we’re supposed to be brought to your captain unharmed. That’s not how you treat a lady.” She added with a huff and as much dignity, given the circumstances, that she could muster.

“Maybe you should have thought about that before you surrendered to them. I mean what the hell are you thinking?” Zoro snarled in her direction as the gave him the same treatment, albeit with more men.

Reluctantly, Zoro had followed her lead. He was furious, that much was obvious. He certainly wasn’t making it easier for the goon squad to bind his wrists either. His eyes shifted wildly, seeming to take in and catalogue every movement around him.

Nami tried to meet his eyes but it was obvious she wasn’t his main focus. “You’ll see when we get to the ship.” She said pointedly, hoping he’d catch on.

He’d been about to retort when a man approached him from behind. From her angle it seemed as if he were checking the restraints, but when Zoro stilled, his eyes losing their focus, she realized her error.

Her blood stilled in her veins as she watched Zoro slump forward, face down in the sand. “You son of a bitch!” She snarled, fighting against the restraints. “What part of unharmed don’t you understand? What did you do to him?”

The man, a big burly sort with a full beard grinned at her, all crooked teeth. “Unharmed is right. You think we’re stupid though if we’d bring him in awake. We just sedated him is all…”

Nami glared at the man, even as she fought to stay calm. She wanted to wiggle out of the restraints and show the arrogant bastard a thing or two. Now more than ever though, she needed to stay calm and stick to the plan. Zoro was breathing at least, so the guy hadn’t lied. 

She could only nod her head as she was half dragged to the waiting boat and fight off the occasional grope. She needed to stick to the plan and hope to hell Zoro woke up before she’d put it in action.


	48. Sacrifice

The Shadows Edge was a stunning ship in its own right. A stolen Navy command vessel, found half wrecked and rotting, Liloquois had crafted her into the beauty she was now.  
The wood planking was stained dark and the accents gave the ship a makeover, making her less like a Navy ship and something entirely her own. She was dark and powerful, an extension of himself.  
He moved across the deck, making his way to the railing. The short distance between the two ships made it possible for him to not only see the Strawhat’s faces, but it gave him a chance to really size them up.  
This ragtag crew was really the scourge of the World Government? They were an assortment of freaks and children. He wasn’t impressed, nor was he impressed by the grin he saw upon their Captain’s face.  
“Orders?” Dizzle asked, dancing into Liloquois’ view.   
Liloquois considered for a moment. Really, it’d be all too beautiful to blow them out of the water. His men would capture the swordsman and the little bitch that had caused him so much trouble, that he was sure of. Wouldn’t it just be beautiful to see her face when he told her--.  
On second thought, he’d make her watch the destruction. He grinned, turning to face his trusty right hand man.  
“Hold off for a minute on the cannons, but keep the men on standby. I’m going to have a little fun…”  
&^&^&^&^&^  
The first creature soared between the two ships, a large dragon like behemoth the glimmered strangely through the smoke.  
“What the hell is that?!” Usopp shrieked, ducking below the railing, even as he fumbled for his slingshot with shaking hands.  
“Incoming!!!” Brook yelled, even through his own screaming.  
“It’s a dragon! Help!!” Chopper yelled, ducking behind Robin as she tensed, raising her arms, at the ready.  
Luffy gripped the railing, drawing an arm back, readying a punch. His hit connected but the shimmering wraith seemed unaffected as it barrelled toward him with shocking speed, sending the captain of the strawhats skidding across the deck. It gripped him, its gaping maw of fangs seeming to grin as it pinned him to the deck.  
“LUFFY!” Sanji sprung into action, a punishing kick snapping against the creatures head, drawing its attention. It turned its head and batted Sanji into the deck, splitting a few of the planks on impact.   
Franky snarled. “Alright, first my crew now my ship. Strong right!” He swung, connecting, but it was if he’d hit a wall, his fist bouncing off, sending him too crashing into the deck.  
Robin was about to charge when Chopper’s hand stopped her. He’d morphed into strong point. “Wait! Look, there’s something wrong…”  
Robin glanced to Luffy, who was writhing beneath the dragon like creature. He wasn’t fighting the creature though, his shouts were mostly unintelligible but they did catch his brother’s name.   
“Ace? Isn’t that…” Robin muttered, seeing Chopper nod. He pointed to Franky, who had gotten to his feet. His eyes were glazed and he seemed on edge, angry, nervous. He was shouting at something or someone only he could see. Sanji was levelling kicks with punishing force, the occasional kick going astray to hit railing or planking.  
“The shadow creatures…they have a way of getting into one’s head.” Robin said with clarity. “That explains the stories and the island…”  
Brook had joined them on the deck. “They are hallucinations…But how do we fight back against something we can’t even touch?”   
Robin glanced to Brook and a plan came to mind.   
“Grab your sword…”

%^%^%^%^%

As the boats approached the ships ahead of them, the leader of the bunch, Crooked Teeth himself as it turned out, pulled out a mini snail and waited for it to connect.  
The snails face morphed into an approximation of Liloquois’, crazed look and snarl and all.  
“This had better be good.”  
“We have ‘em Captain. The swordsman’s sedated and the girl’s feisty as ever.” He crowed.  
There was a moment of stunned silence, as if Liloquois couldn’t even believe that everything had gone so smoothly before the snail’s face morphed into an ugly grin and started cackling in a way that made Nami cringe.  
He’d gone bat shit. Anyone with that much power, it was dangerous. She strained to hear and felt herself go pale at the news.  
“Wonderful. Hurry back with them. I wouldn’t want the little bitch to miss her ship’s destruction. I’ve already taken down her precious captain and a few of the others. The last few shouldn’t be much trouble.”  
The snail disconnected and Crooked Teeth grinned at her, his face so close to hers that she had to swallow down her nausea at the smell of his breath. His hand moved to grip her hair, pulling it.  
“You hear that? It’s over.”  
Nami glared at him defiantly but her mind was racing. Could her plan still work? She glanced at Zoro, unconscious next to her. If he would just wake up….  
She watched as Liloquois’ ship loomed large over them. From this angle she couldn’t even see the Sunny, but she knew it was there.  
Hold on guys…  
%^%^%^%^^%  
He felt himself hit against something hard. Wood, a deck. Everything was still swimming and he thought for a minute he might puke.  
Keeping his eyes shut he tried to concentrate on listening and keeping as still as possible.  
The last thing he remembered was Nami jumping between him and the enemy, her stupid plan and being bound.  
What an idiot, what the hell had she been thinking? He was still beyond pissed but he’d have to trust in her instinct, in whatever crazy plan she’d cooked up.  
He could only hope that it wasn’t revenge driven, that whatever Liloquois had done to her hadn’t clouded her judgement so much that she’d gotten them in trouble.  
His head hurt, whatever they’d given him wasn’t planning on letting him go without a fight.  
He cracked an eye, seeing boots and a familiar pair of sandaled feet.  
“You must be stupid to think that I’d actually take your parlay seriously.” Liloquois voice rang out. “Or did you miss me and my men so much?” Leering laughter rang out all across the deck, turning Zoro’s stomach.  
If he could only get his swords…  
“Please.” Nami retorted, “If you can’t get over the fact I used you the first time, you’re really going to hate what I have to tell you…”  
There was such confidence in her voice, what was she playing at?  
“And that would be?” Liloquois seemed unconvinced.  
There was movement and Zoro tilted his head, barely able to see that Nami had gotten loose from her bonds.  
He heard a scuffle and a commotion and realized she must have gotten her hands on a weapon because suddenly all attention was on her.  
Her voice was mockingly sweet. “You see that right there? That’s my ship. I’m going to take my friend here and we’re going to go back to it. Thanks for the ride by the way, saved us all that swimming.”  
He couldn’t be hearing her right, had the crazy witch really risked everything to spare them some swimming? He was going to kill her himself…if she hadn’t already gotten them killed….there was something more to her plan for sure but hell if he was going to sit here and puzzle it out.  
In the moment where he wanted to make a move there was a loud crack through the air and he felt a ripple he recognized, the displacement of air he knew all too well, but different…  
A voice called loud and clear but was drowned out by Liloquois’ howl of rage. “HOW?!”  
He had no way of knowing what exactly was going on, beside the fact that Brook had just done something epic and pissed off the enemy all in one go.  
“You were saying something earlier to your goons about disabling us?” Nami crowed.

%&%&%&%&%&  
“That was so awesome!” Chopper cheered, his eyes sparkling with awe.  
“Well done!” Robin praised the skeleton swordsman as he landed nimbly on the deck, Liloquois’ abomination evaporating.  
The sonic reverberation and displacement of air had worked like a charm against the creature.  
“Yohoohooohoo!” Brook gave a bow turning toward Robin. If the skeleton’s face were capable of showing expectation, it would have and Robin gave a shake of her head. “Don’t even ask,” She said, unable to hide a smile, even as Brook managed to look sad.  
She moved quickly across the deck. Franky seemed to have shaken off whatever had affected him but he still seemed stunned. At her questioning face, he forced a grin. “I’m good, help Strawhat!” He looked around quickly, finding Usopp where he’d crumpled. The poor guy had taken a nasty blow to the head from him at the beginning of the whole thing and was just coming to.  
“Aww man, remind me to never pick a fight with you. You hit like a truck.” The sniper grumped, letting Franky help him to his feet.   
“What happened?”   
“That Liloquois creep unleashed his monster and it played with our heads. Be thankful that you slept through it.” Franky said through gritted teeth, checking over a cannon to ensure it was loaded.  
Something in Franky’s face told Usopp not to argue as he rubbed the lump on his head.  
Across the deck, Chopper had checked over Sanji, who seemed fine. He too had that same haunted look, though he managed to hide it under a mask of grim determination.  
Robin seemed barely able to hold back their Captain from charging across the deck. He was livid. He slipped past Robin and skidded to a stop at the rail.  
“Liloquois!” He shouted toward the other ship. “Fight me you coward!”  
%^%^%^%  
At Luffy’s war cry, Nami let out a cry of her own, one of triumph and whirled into action. The rifle she’d managed to get her hands on worked just as well as a staff and bludgeoning weapon and she used it as such.  
Liloquois seemed torn between Luffy’s shouts and whether or not to stop the rampaging woman on his deck.  
Nami spotted Zoro’s swords and made a run for them, snatching them up.  
The crew members seemed to come out of the woodwork and she was finding it harder and harder to fend them off and hold onto the swords.  
Almost as if it were planned, she saw Zoro’s familiar form. He was on his feet. She wanted to call out to him but her air supply choked off.  
She hadn’t even seen him move from the railing. As soon as Zoro had turned his attention to fighting through the masses of crew on the deck, Liloquois had darted toward her.  
His hand was tight around her throat as he moved, holding her like a trophy high over the deck. Her hand slackened and she dropped the rifle, struggling to hold the swords.   
She batted and clawed weakly at the hand around her throat, feeling the burning need to breath.  
“Surrender or she dies!” Liloquois shouted.  
“Nami!” she heard Luffy’s shout vaguely and the last thing she saw was the waves.

$^$^$^$^$^$  
It happened so fast that he thought that the drugs in his system were still playing tricks on him. In one moment, Nami had been fighting, the next she’d been held over the railing like a puppet.  
He’d vaguely heard the threat the Liloquois had shouted but he’d never expect the crazed man to make good on it.  
She seemed to fall in slow motion before hitting the waves and sinking. Zoro moved toward the railing and saw just why Liloquois had dropped her.   
Luffy had grabbed on to the enemy ship and swung over, throwing Liloquois across the deck. He turned his hand making a grab, stretching, reaching but it was too late.  
“Nami!” Luffy shouted. His hand reached under the waves but with every touch of the sea his power grew weaker.  
Zoro struggled against his bonds but knew it was useless. The heavy steal chains wouldn’t break simply because he wanted them to.   
It was a split second decision and he knew he might very well die doing it, dragged under by the sea by the steal chains and chemicals in his blood.   
If it saved her, it’d be worth it.  
He glanced to Luffy with a nod. “Give him a couple hits for me while you’re at it.”  
With that he dove over the rail and hit the sea.


End file.
